Friendly relations between Russia and Azerbaijan not only meet the interests of Moscow and Baku, but also contribute to the consolidation of peace in the region, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship, Ziyad Samadzade said, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza on the sidelines of the 4th international forum Caspian Energy 2017, which is taking place in Baku.
He recalled that the Azerbaijani-Russian relations have long historical roots, and the Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev pay great attention to the preservation of these traditions. "Recent visits, meetings of our presidents will certainly promote deepening of interrelations. The development of our economic cooperation is especially intensive. Regular meetings and forums on humanities bring our peoples closer. We carry out joint projects and the process of improving the infrastructure is underway," the parliamentarian said.
Ziyad Samadzade stressed that the trade turnover between Russia and Azerbaijan is constantly growing, and recalled that Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin set a goal to reach the minimum level of trade turnover of $1 billion.
The chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship also commented on the economic reforms which are being carried out both in Russia and Azerbaijan as part of a policy of reducing dependence on the non-oil sector. "They are primarily aimed at reducing risks from global economic shocks, such as reducing oil prices and other global risks and cataclysms," the parliamentarian explained.
"Recently, a number of necessary laws have been adopted in Azerbaijan to ensure the stability of the economic situation. We pay great attention to the issues of entrepreneurs, reduce all obstacles that can limit the development of medium and small businesses. Soft loans, investments, programs for accelerated development of regions, employment, poverty reduction - all these issues require the improvement of legislation," he said.
The deputy drew attention to the fact that the reforms are already yielding results it will continue. According to calculations, economic growth in the coming years will be provided precisely due to the non-oil sector. "In general, despite the global difficulties and pressure, I am optimistic about the future of relations and the development of the economies of Russia and Azerbaijan," Ziyad Samadzade concluded.
