Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan exert every effort to implement mutual agreements
By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade
The next meeting of the Kazakh-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation will be held in Baku in the second half of this year, Kazakh Ambassador to Azerbaijan Beybit Isabaev said in interview with Azertag.
Emphasizing the important role of the commission in the development of trade relations and the implementation of agreements at the interstate and intergovernmental level, he noted that at the 14th meeting of the commission, the Road Map for 2018-2020 was adopted for the first time in the history of bilateral economic relations in December 2017 in Baku which, first of all, provides for the implementation of the tasks identified by the leaders of the two countries and the expansion of bilateral export-import potential as a whole.
“Within the framework of the next 15th meeting of the commission, which was held in Nur-Sultan in October last year, the parties reviewed the implementation of the Road Map, adopted in 2017, and also developed measures necessary to expand the range of products exported to the markets of the two countries . In addition, following the meeting of the commission, such areas as transit, transport, energy, agriculture, railway engineering and tourism were identified as priority areas for further mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.
Further, the Ambassador also added that the parties paid close attention to establishing direct contacts between the business communities, which is another effective mechanism for strengthening bilateral trade relations. For these purposes, with the support of the embassy, in May 2018, a Kazakh-Azerbaijani business forum was held in Baku.
“Following the results of the business forum between KazakhExport and the Export and Investment Promotion Foundation - AZPROMO, a cooperation agreement was signed, and B2B meetings of entrepreneurs of the two countries were held. The forum became a useful platform for establishing business contacts, expanding mutual trade in goods and services, and creating favourable conditions for long-term development and diversification of trade,” Beybit Isabaev stated.
Speaking about the work completed within two years, the ambassador also noted that during the visit of first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to Baku, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC and Azerbaijan Railways CJSC signed an agreement that provided for the supply of 40 freight locomotive of Kazakh production. To date, 4 electric locomotives have already been transferred to Azerbaijan, the rest will be sent in stages according to schedule.
As Beibit Isabaev stressed, during the visit to Baku, first President Nursultan Nazarbayev and President Ilham Aliyev identified the need to resume the former supply of Kazakh grain to Azerbaijan.
“In order to fulfill this order, a relevant working group is working between the authorized bodies of our countries, within the framework of which practical mechanisms are being developed to increase the export of Kazakhstani grain. As a result, we already have certain positive indicators in this matter. Thus, according to the results of 2018, over 288,000 tons of Kazakhstan grain was delivered to Azerbaijan against 76,500 tons in 2017. Along with the growth of grain exports, there is an increase in the supply of Kazakhstan rice by 3.5 times, lentils - 4 times in the amount of 7,200 tons and 3,100 tons, respectively,” said the ambassador.
The Ambassador also spoke about cooperation in the field of energy and energy supply to foreign markets.
“To this end, interdepartmental working groups have been established. Last September, their first meetings were held, the deputy ministers of energy of the two countries discussed the transportation of Kazakh oil and oil products in transit through Azerbaijan and the supply of Kazakh oil products to Azerbaijan, as well as supplies and transit of Kazakh liquefied natural gas through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan. We exert every effort to implement the agreements reached at a high level, and we are optimistic about the prospects for the development of bilateral trade and economic relations,” Beybit Isabaev said.
At the end of 2018, the bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan amounted to $ 220.54 million and increased by 62.6 percent compared with 2017, he said.
Beibit Isabaev added that Kazakhstan’s exports grew by 61.8 percent, reaching $174.14 million, showing an increase of 35.6 percent.
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