Azerbaijan, Russia eye development of bilateral ties

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Diaspora Chairman Fuad Muradov and Russian President Special Representative on International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy have discussed the development of bilateral ties.

At a meeting held in Baku on November 24, Muradov stressed the importance of further development of bilateral Azerbaijani-Russian relations and the expansion of cultural ties.

Muradov briefed the participants about the diaspora policy of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis living abroad. He stressed the rapid integration of Azerbaijanis living in Russia into the cultural and social life of the country.

Shvydkoy emphasized the importance of establishing a cultural dialogue in the globalizing world.

Stating that Azerbaijani-Russian relations are successfully developing in the cultural field, he noted that Moscow attaches great importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Russia have mutual cooperation in different fields, such as economy, agriculture, customs, communications, high technology, and others. More than 230 intergovernmental and intercompany documents have been signed between the two countries and six "road maps" are being implemented.

Earlier this year Azerbaijan participated in a number of international exhibitions held in Russia. The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to $2.6 billion in 2020, making Russia Azerbaijan’s third-largest partner. Additionally, Azerbaijan is a major supplier of fruits and vegetables to Russia. The country ranked first in supplies of fresh and chilled tomatoes.

Russia also played a prominent role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict resolution. The trilateral peace deal signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, ended the 30-year conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijan’s Karabakh that along with seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the 1990s.