Azernews.Az

TASHKENT – Azerbaijan’s first national exhibition started in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent on Friday.

Addressing the event, organized by the Azerbaijani government, Economic Development Minister Shahin Mustafayev said it was not by mere chance that the country was holding its first national exhibition in Uzbekistan, stressing the dynamic development of political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries.

"Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have signed a number of bilateral agreements covering a variety of fields, mainly on joint protection and promotion of investments, lifting double taxation, economic cooperation for 2011-2015, free trade and customs cooperation."

Mustafayev said Azerbaijani-Uzbek trade turnover increased 23 percent in January-September, with exports more than doubling. "However, economic cooperation and bilateral trade between the two countries are not on par with the political relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. This being said, there is great potential for boosting economic cooperation and the trade turnover volume."

The minister also said that in the near future it will be possible to transport cargo from Central Asia to Europe through the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which is successfully being built.

170 Azerbaijani companies are displaying about 1,700 types of goods at the exhibition underway in Uzbekistan in an area of 4,550 square meters.

Businessmen are expected to hold meetings to discuss ways of expanding exports of Azerbaijani goods to Central Asian markets.