Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan mull cooperation in various fields
By Aynur Jafarova
Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the cultural, humanitarian and economic fields were high on the agenda of talks held between a Kazakh delegation and Azerbaijan's officials on October 9.
As part of the visit to Baku, the Kazakh delegation led by the country's First Deputy Foreign Minister Rapil Zhoshybayev met with Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natig Aliyev.
During the meeting Aliyev said Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have developed significantly following their independence. He also hailed political and economic relations between the two countries.
He went on to praise the role of Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan intergovernmental economic commission in the development of ties between the two countries.
Zhoshybayev, for his part, informed the Azerbaijani minister on preparatory works being carried out for the upcoming international EXPO-2017 exhibition.
Also, the Kazakh delegation was received by Azerbaijan's Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfas Garayev, and the sides highlighted relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the fields of culture and tourism.
Garayev said Azerbaijan promotes its cultural heritage through tourism, and added that the active participation of Kazakh tourism companies in international exhibitions held in Azerbaijan could lay firm ground for joint cooperation.
The minister also invited the Kazakh delegation to attend the third World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue to be held in Baku.
Zhoshybayev, for his turn, called for innovations in the fields of culture and tourism in Kazakhstan. He also stressed Azerbaijan's importance in the region, and called for its participation in the exhibition.
The Deputy FM lauded bilateral relations between the two countries, and said the international exhibition will bring together representatives from more than 100 countries.
Following the meeting, Azerbaijan Tourism Association and Kazakhstan's National Astana EXPO-2017 Company signed a memorandum on joint cooperation.
As part of the visit, Zhoshybayev met with Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Nadir Huseynov to discuss how to expand the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The sides said bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have been developing successfully in a variety of fields, and expressed confidence that these relations would continue to expand.
Azerbaijanis and Kazakhs are both Turkic-speaking nations and share close historical, religious, and cultural ties. Both countries are among the littoral states of the Caspian Sea and possess a common maritime border.
About 130,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis live in Kazakhstan.
The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $371 million in 2013. Some 52 Kazakh companies operate in Azerbaijan, while 723 companies with the Azerbaijani investment are registered in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan invested $5.2 million in Azerbaijan in fixed assets in 2002-2013, while only in the last two years Azerbaijan invested $132.8 million of direct investment in Kazakh economy.