Economic ties between Baku, Bishkek not meets full potential
By Aynur Karimova
The current volume of trade turnover, existing investments and general economic relations between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan do not meet their true capabilities, Kyrgyz Ambassador to Baku Ayjigit Buranov told Trend.
"One of the key moments of the further development and deepening of bilateral relations between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan is the diversification of economic cooperation, which has considerable potential," he said.
The diplomat also noted that Kyrgyz-Azerbaijani relations are characterized as fraternal by virtue of an agreement on friendship and cooperation signed on April 23, 1997 in Baku.
"Measures towards strengthening Kyrgyz-Azerbaijani relations have been considerably intensified since August 2012," Buranov added.
The diplomat further mentioned that Kyrgyzstan supports Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through political means, and recalled that Bishkek voted for the UN Security Council's four resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) in favor of Azerbaijan.
"Kyrgyzstan is committed to the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of each state, with which it has established diplomatic relations," he noted.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup of 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal. Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.
Buranov went on to add that the Kyrgyz Embassy in Baku is currently working to resume regular flights between Baku and Bishkek.
In the autumn of 2014, Azerbaijan Airlines began direct flights between Baku and Bishkek with the assistance of the Azerbaijani government, but these flights were cancelled due to limited profitability.
The diplomat believes that the cancellation of regular flights along the Baku-Bishkek route has had a negative impact on the development of tourism between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan.
He also said that Kyrgyzstan is keen on attracting foreign tourists to the country, including tourists from Azerbaijan. In this regard, the embassy in Baku is conducting public awareness efforts to attract tourists to recreational areas of Kyrgyzstan, such as Issyk-Kul, Arslanbob, Sary Chelek and others.
Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan were established on January 19, 1993. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $27.502 million in 2014.
According to Azerbaijan's State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan amounted to $4.2 million in January-August 2015, while this figure stood at $25.8 million in 2014.
Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan have signed 52 documents so far, which cover various fields of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Currently, the two countries are actively cooperating within UN, CIS, OIC and other international and regional organizations.
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Aynur Karimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Aynur_Karimova
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