Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to its relations with the Netherlands and the joint business forum held in Baku will make another contribution to the development of cooperation between the two countries, Economic Development Minister Shahin Mustafayev has said.

"Entrepreneurs from the Netherlands have shown great interest in various areas of Azerbaijan's economy, and we are ready to consider them. A good framework has been established through the efforts of the two countries, and we are ready to develop it further," Mustafayev said at the signing ceremony of a declaration on the draft agreement on mutual protection of investments.

So far, the two countries have signed 10 economic agreements.

Mustafayev added that currently 70 Dutch companies are operating in Azerbaijan. The total volume of Dutch investments in Azerbaijan's economy amounts to $365 million.

Bilateral trade turnover increased 42 percent during the first seven months of the year.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands Maxime Verhagen, who attended the signing ceremony, said that the signing of the document will further strengthen the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Netherlands, adding that his country's exports to Azerbaijan tripled in 2011.

Three more documents were signed. These include a Memorandum of Understanding on Master's Courses in business management and development of experimental farms, signed between the Azerbaijan State Agrarian University and a consulting company for the production of dairy products, Friesian. A memorandum in the field of business management between the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy and the Euro-Control centre at Maastricht, and an agreement on a technical project on building an office with an area of 10,000 square meters in the frame of Baku-White City project were inked as well.