VDNKh hosts meeting of Russian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission

A meeting of the intergovernmental economic commission between Azerbaijan and Russia was held at VDNKh today. According to the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, Russian deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin said that great work has been done in the past year. "The economic cooperation between the two countries is on the agenda today."

"Our bilateral relations are at a high level – both politically, economically and spiritually. It fully meets the interests of our countries. The volume of mutual trade has doubled, and it is the best indicator in the CIS. An important place is occupied by industrial products, industrial supplies of Azerbaijani products, which are appreciated very much here. Energy is also important," the deputy chairman of the Russian government said, adding that the fact that in Azerbaijan 15 thousand students are receiving education in Russian shows the level of relations.

Also, Dmitry Rogozin spoke about the future transformation of pavilion №14 'Azerbaijan'. "An aquarium built by natives of Azerbaijan will be deployed on the territory of the Exhibition Center," he said.

The First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Yaqub Eyyubov, in his turn, noted that the intergovernmental commission is doing everything to ensure close Azerbaijani-Russian relations. "My people and my President always understood that Russia has always supported us. We have received from Russia a lot, and we must speak openly about it. We believe that the Azerbaijani people have always appreciated this care," he stressed, thanking Rogozin for his work in the intergovernmental commission.

"A large number of Azerbaijanis are working in Russia, and special conditions are created for them. There are good and friendly relations between the heads of our states. I was pleased when President Vladimir Putin congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his birthday, and I would like to congratulate your President on his birthday too. Thanks to him, Russia has become more respected now," Yaqub Eyyubov said.

The Deputy Chairman of the Russian part of the intergovernmental commission, Alexei Likhachev, noting that the intergovernmental commission is working continuously, said that the record level of trade turnover between the two countries this year is accompanied by high rates of growth of economic contacts in dollar terms. "If we look at the figures in rubles, we will see a steady increase of 25-26% in both directions. We will work with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation to expand mutual settlement in national currencies. This seriously contributes to the development and diversification of trade turnover," Likhachev noted.

According to Likhachev, the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the agricultural sector is far from being exhausted. "We once again invite Azerbaijani companies to the Russian market, our anti-sanctions release new features on deliveries of agricultural and Azerbaijani products to the Russian market. We've been out for half a billion dollars of turnover volume of services," the deputy minister appreciated.

Likhachev also drew attention to the success of regional cooperation between the two countries. "The past year has been notable for a significant intensification of inter-regional cooperation. Azerbaijan has visited 10 regions of Russia in January-September this year alone, more than half of the delegations were headed by governors or heads of regions. On September 30 Yekaterinburg hosted the sixth Russian-Azerbaijani inter-regional forum, which was attended by over 400 people. Both Russian and Azerbaijani companies were represented at a very high level," he recalled.