The trade turnover between Ukraine and Azerbaijan for the first time in seven years has reached an all-time high levels of almost $1 billion, as reported by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during the visit of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Kyiv.

The commodity turnover [between Ukraine and Azerbaijan] not only did not decrease, despite what is happening around the world and our states are no exception, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time in seven years, the trade turnover has reached an all-time high of almost $1 billion.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine

Ukraine and Azerbaijan set a goal to double the volume of joint trade by 2024, increase the amount of joint investments and projects, in particular, the participation of Azerbaijani companies in the Great Construction programme, as well as mutual participation in the construction of new infrastructure in both states. Also, according to the president, Ukraine counts on the active participation of Azerbaijani business in privatisation in Ukraine.

Following the talks between two Presidents of Ukraine and Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in Kyiv, a joint declaration on deepening the strategic partnership and a number of other bilateral documents were signed.

We have signed the Joint Declaration of the Presidents of Ukraine and Azerbaijan. It enshrines readiness to provide mutual support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our states within internationally recognized borders, joint counteraction to hybrid threats, the desire to ensure peace and stability in the Black Sea-Caspian region and beyond.

Volodymyr Zelensky

The Joint Declaration enshrines agreements to provide mutual support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two states within their internationally recognized borders; the desire to intensify bilateral substantive cooperation in political and security, trade and economic, fuel and energy, military and technical, infrastructure, transport, aircraft, agro-industrial, cultural, humanitarian and other fields. The readiness to intensify cooperation in combating hybrid threats is also stipulated. It also envisages further strengthening cooperation in the field of defense industry by completing current and developing new joint projects, directly mentions the intention to deepen cooperation within international and regional organizations and fora, including the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, GUAM, BSEC.

We should intensify cooperation in the field of international road and rail transport, as well as in the field of aviation. We will continue to work together on a number of prospects, including the creation of a transport corridor within GUAM, which unites Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova.

Volodymyr Zelensky

In addition, Iryna Vereshchuk, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, and Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in food safety. It concerns cooperation in simplifying procedures for the import, export, transit and re-export of food products. In order to ensure their safety, the possibility of inspecting market operators who produce and trade food is envisaged.

Iryna Vereshchuk and Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Economy of Ukraine and Azerbaijan on emergency cooperation in bilateral trade, which defines the mechanism of such cooperation in bilateral trade in case of threats related to epidemics, natural disasters and man-made catastrophes, as well as its duration.

Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Roman Leshchenko and Mikayil Jabbarov signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on cooperation in agriculture. The document will promote cooperation in crop production and food security, mutual legal assistance in the field of land relations, efficient use of agricultural land, investment in projects for processing agricultural raw materials, trade in fertilizers and more.

Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko and Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov, who is also Chairman of the SOCAR Supervisory Board, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, Naftogaz of Ukraine and the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan. The document creates conditions for expanding cooperation in the energy sector and joint implementation of projects in the oil and gas market of Ukraine, including oil supply and transportation to our country, transportation of oil products, joint use of oil pipelines, exploration and production of hydrocarbons, construction of new oil refining facilities on the territory of Ukraine and reconstruction of existing ones, supply of natural gas to Ukraine, its storage in underground storage facilities on the territory of our state, etc.

A Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the State Service of Ukraine for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre and the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan on cooperation in land relations, management of state property land and state land cadastre was signed by Acting Chairman of the State Geocadastre Serhiy Zavadsky and the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan. The document should ensure closer cooperation in the field of land relations, state land management and state land cadastre in terms of providing legal mutual assistance in land relations, management of state-owned lands and lands of state land cadastre, as well as exchange of experience, information, consulting services.

The President of Ukraine thanked his colleague and the entire Azerbaijani delegation for the warm and constructive talks, which became significant on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Ilham Aliyev, for his part, noted that relations between Ukraine and Azerbaijan create many opportunities.

Source: website of President of Ukraine