BAKU, 7 June (BelTA) – The trade between Belarus and Azerbaijan should reach $500 million a year. The relevant task has been set forth by the Presidents of the two countries, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan Nikolai Patskevich told BelTA. According to the diplomat, the two sides have already signed agreements in various areas, what give reasons to believe that the states will reach such a level in the near future. The contracts, including long-term, total nearly $1 billion. All the prerequisites have been created for further development, he noted. It is also important that the Belarusian and Azerbaijani economies are complementary, not competitive. According to Nikolai Patskevich, one of the most important issues for discussion during the visit of the President of Belarus to Azerbaijan was the expansion of production cooperation. The two states have already been assembling Belarusian tractors, trucks, mobile cranes in Azerbaijan. They also launched the production of agricultural vehicles. “We have chosen the right strategy that will help boost the export. It is enough mentioning that over the past three years we have assembled over 2,000 tractors and the figure will grow,” the Ambassador said. In his words, there will be assembled 1,000 MAZ trucks this year. The diplomat believes that such bilateral relations have proved efficient. It is worth mentioning that in the crisis year of 2009 Belarus and Azerbaijan avoided a decline in the mutual trade turnover. According to Nikolai Patskevich, the Belarusian side has submitted a set of proposals for expanding bilateral relations. Construction is one of the promising areas to step up cooperation. In his words, Belarusian companies can offer Azerbaijan the projects on the production of construction materials and equipment. The two sides also have good opportunities to develop cooperation in architecture. Belarusian specialists are ready to design a general layout for Baku.

БЕЛТА