Azerbaijan-Russia dialogue held in Baku

The third Russian-Azerbaijani inter-regional forum "Russian-Azerbaijani dialogue - 2012" began its work in Baku today.

The forum after the official opening continued in seven sections: “The strategic cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan in the Caspian region,” “The potential and importance of cultural ties,” “Joint energy projects with an emphasis on strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries,” “Cooperation in transport,” “Youth of Russia and Azerbaijan - horizons of cooperation,” “Current status and prospects of development of interregional cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan,” “Banking and investment in the context of the development of interregional cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan.”

Messages on behalf of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia to the participants were deliverd by the head of the Presidential Aadministration of the AR Ramiz Mehdiyev and the head of the Russian President Administration’s Department for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, Vladimir Chernov.

The assessment by the two Presidents of the existing achievements and the prospects of the bilateral relations were almost identical. In the speeches the Presidents noted the positive state of strategic partnership and the strengthening of the historic friendship.

Particular emphasis in the speeches of the head of the Presidential Administration of AR and the Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin was placed on the development of economic ties. According to Mehdiyev, in 2011, the turnover grew by 47.4% to $ 2.8 billion. By 2012, 457 Russian enterprises and organizations with absolute or mixed capital worked in Azerbaijan.

Dorokhin call record the visits of the heads of the subjects of the Russian Federation to Azerbaijan. In 2011, Azerbaijan was visited by high delegations from seven subjects of Russia, which signed six agreements on cooperation with Azerbaijan.

The Chairman of the Economic Policy Committee of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan Ziyad Samadzadeh said that the proposals made at the forum will be incorporated into the development strategies of socio-economic relations between Russia and the AR.

The forum has been organized by the Development Fund Institute of Eurasian Studies with the support by the Russian Presidential Administration and the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan. It is attended by about 300 representatives from all branches of government, business and expert community. The first forum was held in Baku in 2010, and the second one was held in Astrakhan in 2011. -0 –