Russian MFA: Azerbaijan is Russia’s Important Partner in the South Caucasus and the Caspian Region

Russian MFA: Azerbaijan is Russia’s Important Partner in the South Caucasus and the Caspian Region

On July 16-17, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation to have talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The ministers will discuss the current state of and prospects for bilateral cooperation and exchange views on pressing regional and international issues, The Caspian Post reports via the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Azerbaijan is Russia’s important partner in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region. Relations between our countries are steeped in the spirit of traditional friendship and neighbourliness. Day-to-day cooperation relies on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and consideration for each other’s interests.

At present, over 150 international legal instruments have been concluded between our two countries. The Russian side is committed to fully unlocking the potential of the Declaration on Allied Interaction between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which was signed in Moscow on February 22, 2022.

Moscow and Baku maintain regular and trust-based dialogue at the top and high levels. On March 11, President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan held two telephone conversations this year.

Russia-Azerbaijan trade and economic ties are getting stronger. On April 16, the 24th meeting of the Russian-Azerbaijani Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation was successfully held in Zangilan, Azerbaijan. From May 12 to 17, Azerbaijani delegations took part in the 17th International Economic Forum, Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum, and in the 29th St Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 3-6.

More than 1,400 businesses with Russian capital, including VTB Bank, Lukoil, Geropharm, Sibalux, Penoplex, and Abrau-Dyurso, operate in Azerbaijan. Russian companies such as KAMAZ, GAZ Group, Sollers, and AvtoVAZ operate assembly production facilities in Azerbaijan.

Russian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians maintain traditionally close and trust-based contacts. From May 20 to 22, Milli Majlis Chair Sahiba Gafarova took part in the 60th anniversary meeting of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly in St Petersburg. On June 18, Baku hosted the 24th meeting of the Commission on Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Great emphasis is placed on promoting Russia-Azerbaijan interregional cooperation. Around 80 constituent entities of the Russian Federation are involved in this work; 18 of them have concluded agreements with Azerbaijan on trade and economic, scientific, technical, and cultural cooperation.

Expanding cultural and humanitarian cooperation is an important priority in bilateral relations. A number of promising projects aimed at strengthening ties in this area are being implemented, including reciprocal tours by performing groups from our respective countries.

An extensive record of cooperation has been built up in education. More than 9,000 Azerbaijani students are studying in Russia, and tuition of over 1,000 of them is covered from Russia’s federal budget. Every year, nearly 280 publicly funded quotas are provided to Azerbaijani citizens to study at Russian universities. Since 2009, the Lomonosov Moscow State University branch has operated in Baku, as has the branch of the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, which was established in 2015. Around 320 schools providing instruction in Russian operate in Azerbaijan, and Russian-language departments have opened at Azerbaijani higher education institutions. Promising projects include establishing a joint Russian-Azerbaijani university in Baku based on St Petersburg State University.

Cross-border cooperation is underway. On July 9, the 29th meeting of the Joint Russian-Azerbaijani Commission on the Allocation of Water Resources of the Transboundary Samur River was held. The parties discussed in detail ways to monitor and allocate water resources between Russia and Azerbaijan, as well as the technical parameters for the operation of the Samur hydroelectric complex.

The 3+3 Regional Cooperation Platform, which brings together Russia, Iran, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia, boasts considerable potential. This mechanism is designed to help address regional issues and challenges through the efforts of the countries of the region and their neighbours, without destructive external interference.

Peace and stability in the South Caucasus is what matters a lot to us. As before, we stand ready to provide the necessary assistance to achieve fully normalised relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including on matters related to concluding a peace treaty, delimiting the border, and unblocking transport routes. The road maps guiding these processes have been set out in the trilateral statements signed at the top level in 2020-2022.

We view Jeyhun Bayramov’s upcoming visit in the context of continuing trust-based Russia-Azerbaijan political dialogue and further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.