Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Azerbaijan's capital Baku hosted the seventh meeting of the Azerbaijani-French economic commission on November 26 which was followed by signing of a protocol on cooperation.

The fact that cooperation between Azerbaijan and France is developing was voiced during the seventh meeting of the Azerbaijani-French economic commission and in the final protocol on the results of the meeting signed by Azerbaijan's Finance Minister Samir Sharifov and French Foreign Trade Minister Nicole Bricq.

Addressing the event, Sharifov said Azerbaijan greatly appreciates the role of French financial institutions in financing large projects.

"The French banks finance large infrastructure projects in our country and I'm referring to the Societe General and BNP Paribas. We consider it necessary to develop this cooperation," Sharifov said.

He said the areas for future cooperation may include automobile production and public transport.

"As is known, the Greater Baku development project that defines the future direction of city development has been adopted. One of the most important directions is the underground development. There is a Baku underground development scheme and we think there is a potential for cooperation with French companies in this field," Sharifov said.

He went on to say that underground developments do not include only the construction of new lines and stations.

"I believe that our French partners will be able to cooperate with Azerbaijan in this field both in terms of technological equipment supplies and train depot renovation," he said.

Sharifov also noted that some other foreign countries are also interested in the Baku underground development.

"Our countries may also cooperate in other areas of infrastructure such as land reclamation and road construction," Sharifov added.

He went on to say that trade-economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and France is developing in a stable way.

"The trade turnover between our countries is on a stable level. It amounted to over $1.2 billion in January to September 2013, and it is obvious that this figure will grow even more by the year-end," he noted.

According to Sharifov, cooperation between the two countries is developing successfully and this trend will continue in the future.

"Today Azerbaijan is the first foreign trade partner of France in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) after the Russian Federation. At the same time, France's share in Azerbaijan's foreign trade has reached 1.5 percent which is a very good sign," the minister said.

Sharifov named space industry as one of the new areas for effective bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

"The first Azerbaijani telecommunication satellite was launched into orbit thanks to the French rocket carrier. We are sure that cooperation between our countries will continue in this field in the future as well," he said.

Nicole Bricq, French Foreign Trade Minister who led the French delegation said France intends to strengthen cooperation with Azerbaijan in the agricultural field.

In particular, the country is interested in developing relations in the sphere of production of dairy goods.

"We urge the Azerbaijani companies engaged in production of dairy goods to be ready to cooperation with French companies such as Lactalis and Danone," she said.

Later, Sharifov and Bricq signed a protocol on the results of the seventh meeting of the economic commission.

According to the document, France is interested in participating in household waste management in Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan is developing a complex program on waste management and France is interested in participating in this work," the document said.

Furthermore, the sides expressed interest in exchanging information on the recent developments in decreasing the oil industry's impact on the environment, in particular in the spheres of waste management and polluted ground and water.

The final protocol also said the French companies have shown interest in constructing a tram line in Azerbaijan's Ganja city, located 365 kilometers west of Baku.

The French companies are also interested in participating in the construction of the Baku subway lines, creating the signaling system, and providing it with other necessary equipment.

French companies Alstom and Thales also noted their interest in supplying modern signaling systems and railway transport as part of the state program for development of the railway system in Azerbaijan in 2010-2014.

Azerbaijan and France also agreed to cooperate in the spheres of information and communications technologies and space communication.

The sides expressed readiness to cooperate in the construction of low orbit satellites. The protocol said the adopted decision will be a base for strategic cooperation between the two countries.

France's participation in the project to launch Azerbaijan's second telecommunications satellite contributes to strengthening bilateral cooperation.

The parties also expressed their intention to sign an intergovernmental agreement on exchanging information in the near future.

The protocol also emphasizes a desire to cooperate in the field of nanotechnology, the TASIM project, and creation of techno-parks, digital television network, and others.

In order to strengthen interactions, the sides reached an agreement on coordinating all the aspects of the draft agreement on cooperation between Azerbaijan and France in the spheres of innovations and information technologies, which is expected to be signed between Azerbaijan's Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies and the French Ministry for SMEs, Innovation and Digital Economy.

The document also envisaged the participation of French specialists in the implementation of Baku White City project.

The French companies will also participate in the process of urban development, implementation of urban infrastructure projects, and ensuring healthy ecological environment in capital Baku.

The two countries also agreed to cooperate in the field of renewable energy resources.

The protocol said the sides will cooperate in the production of solar panels and using wind energy.

Azerbaijan and France will also cooperate on the diversification of the hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian Sea to Europe and exchange experience in this field.

Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and France were established in 1992. The trade turnover between the two countries reached about $2 billion in 2012.

The legal framework for bilateral cooperation includes 42 documents, and about 40 French companies operate in Azerbaijan.