Ambassador: Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan almost doubles
By Leman Mammadova
Azerbaijan is Kazakhstan's key trade-economic partner in the Caucasus region. Located on the route of the Great Silk Road, both countries vow for the further expansion of trade and transport relations.
The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan almost doubled in 2018 compared to 2017, ambassador of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan Beibit Issabayev told reporters in Baku on January 30.
"According to the preliminary statistics, the trade turnover between our fraternal countries - Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, has almost doubled. As you know, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Baku two years ago, in April 2017. During the meeting between President Nazarbayev and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the task was set for our governments to double the trade turnover in the next two years, that is, until 2020, and then, as far as possible, to triple it,” he said.
He noted that about 90 percent of the instructions has been already implemented in 2018, adding, next year, the trade turnover will be 2.5 times more than in 2017.
The diplomat stressed that mutually beneficial trade and economic relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan intensify in almost all areas, including the chemical industry, the oil and gas sector and agriculture.
"We have increased export of grain to Azerbaijan and restored export of wheat to the country,” he said. “I think our people have great prospects, great domestic development and reserves for the planned, balanced, mutually beneficial growth of bilateral trade and economic relations."
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in August, 1992.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan attach great importance to the development of bilateral trade and economic ties. There is a successfully operating Intergovernmental Commission, and business forums are held regularly.
In 2017, the Kazakh-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission adopted a road map for trade and economic cooperation for 2018-2020.
For Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan the most important points of cooperation appear to be the contacts on energy issues, oil transportation, agriculture, and the use of the Caspian Sea as an important international traffic artery. The accession of Kazakhstan to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in 2006 opens up broad prospects for the states to strengthen their positions both at the regional level and in the international arena.
Recently, Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR and Kazakhstan's national operator for exploration, production, refining and transportation of hydrocarbons KazMunayGas signed the memorandum of understanding envisaging possible cooperation in geological exploration in the Caspian Sea, joint exploration of geological and geophysical materials on the exploration of hydrocarbon crude as well as transport and trading.
Both countries are interested in intensification of cooperation in many areas, particularly logistics and infrastructure today. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, being the Caspian littoral states, are a natural bridge connecting the West and the East. Thus, the new stage of the cooperation in the field of transport, energy and trade opens another door for Europe to the East.
At present, the two countries are working on promotion of a joint transport project - the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), which involves cargo transportation from China via Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further via Turkey and Ukraine to Europe.
The countries also actively cooperate within the framework of such international and regional organizations as the UN, OSCE, OIC, CICA, Turkic Council, CIS, etc.
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