Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The sixth Russian-Azerbaijani Interregional Forum commenced at the International Exhibition Center in Yekaterinburg on September 30.

Organized jointly by the Russian Economic Development Ministry and the Economy and Industry Ministry of Azerbaijan, the traditional large-scale event brings together members of government, parliamentarians, diplomats, and heads of the regions from the two countries.

The Azerbaijani delegation is headed by Ali Hasanov, the assistant to the president on socio-political issues and the head of the Department of Social and Political Issues at the Presidential Administration.

Hasanov addressed a letter to the forum presented by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

President Aliyev noted that this year, the event is being held in Yekaterinburg, the administrative center of the Sverdlovsk region, which has traditionally close economic and trade ties with Azerbaijan.

“The large Azerbaijani diaspora is playing an important role in saving and strengthening of these ties, and actively participating in the socio-political, socio-economic, and cultural life of the region,” the message said.

The president said that interregional forums have shown their viability and effectiveness in a relatively short period.

“They are considered to be a marketable platform where positions are coordinated and efforts consolidated to work together, business contacts are established, and prospects for their expansion are discussed. In other words, constructive and open dialogue held at these meetings allows to establish direct mutually-beneficial relations between Azerbaijan and the subjects of the Russian Federation,” the letter reads.

The format of the forum makes it possible to consider a wide range of issues, ranging from trade, economic and investment partnership to cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, according to President Aliyev.

Praising the fact that a separate round table with the participation of students, young researchers, and entrepreneurs from both sides is being conducted at the event, President Aliyev said such interactive platform helps not only search for more efficient forms and areas of cooperation, but also contributes to forging new friendships among like-minded youth.

“It is no secret that the prospects for development of relations between our states depend on the today’s young generation, having high intelligence and communication skills,” the message said.

Assessing the current state of Azerbaijani-Russian relations, the president said that due to joint efforts, they have reached the level of strategic partnership.

The head of state expressed confidence that the forum will give new impetus to deepen integration processes and further the rapprochement of the two countries.

The forum will include expert meetings and roundtables, in which representatives of industry and businesses, the heads of enterprises from different economic sectors, and the heads of administrations from frontier territories will discuss the problems of integration and cooperation in the transport, communications, tourism, humanitarian, and educational spheres. Particular attention will be given to direct contacts between regions of Russian and Azerbaijan.

The event will oversee the signing of a number of bilateral documents, in particular, an agreement between the Russian Council on the Development of Foreign Trade and International Economic Relations and the Azerbaijani Fund for Export and Investment Promotion, as well as a number of promising investment projects.

For the first time, the forum will also host the Russian-Azerbaijani Youth Forum, which could become tradition.

Azerbaijan, Russia have potential to increase interaction

The Russian-Azerbaijani Interregional Forum has strengthened its credibility over the past few years and with increasing confidence, it presents itself as a important event in the lives of the two countries, said a greeting statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the participants and guests of the forum.

Putin's message was read to participants by Vladimir Chernov, the chief of the Russian Presidential Directorate for Interregional Relations and Cultural Contacts with Foreign Countries.

The forum is a popular venue for exchanging views on a broad range of promising ideas and projects relevant to our partnership, which promotes prospects for cooperation in industry and agriculture, energy, tourism, as well as in strengthens humanitarian ties, said the appeal.

Russian president's message also said that Azerbaijan and Russia have every opportunity to increase interaction potential and give it an additional boost.

Delivery of goods increases by over 50 pct

The actual delivery of goods between Azerbaijan and Russia rose by more than 50 percent in the first half of 2015, despite a slight drop in turnover, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia Alexander Tsybulsky said at the event.

“Over the past five years, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia increased by more than two times,” he said. “In January-June 2015, the trade turnover between our countries totaled $1.7 billion and showed a slight fall of just over 20 percent.”

“At the same time it should be noted that if the actual volume of supplies of goods and exchange of goods is considered, no drop is observed here. On the contrary, we are witnessing the growth of actual deliveries of goods by more than 50 percent,” he said.

Tsybulsky went on to add that trade turnover between Russia and Azerbaijan at the end of 2014 exceeded $4 billion and reached its historical maximum.

“The dynamics of bilateral trade, despite the global and objective difficulties of the last year, was one of the best among all the CIS countries,” said the deputy minister.

He said that Russia and Azerbaijan established an active and productive dialogue on many important issues on the foreign economic and political agenda.

“If interregional cooperation is considered, 75 regions of Russia maintain trade and economic relations with Azerbaijan on a permanent basis today,” he said.

“Daghestan, Tatarstan, Stavropol Krai, Astrakhan, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Chelyabinsk Oblast, and Moscow and St. Petersburg cities can be called the largest trade partners of Azerbaijan among the Russian regions.”

Tsybulsky said that dynamically developing trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan is also becoming a solid basis for the development of civilized neighborly relations between the two countries.

“Bilateral agreements on trade-economic, scientific-technical, and cultural cooperation were signed with a number of Russian regions at the intergovernmental level,” he said. “It is planned to sign similar documents with the Leningrad Oblast, Tambov Oblast, Ulyanovsk Oblast, and the Republic of Bashkortostan.”

“Two regions of Russia, Dagestan and Tatarstan, have offices in Azerbaijan,” the deputy minister said. “All this underscores the fact that interregional ties between our countries are very tight.”