Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is expected to make an official visit to Belarus on 12 November, First Vice Premier of Belarus Vladimir Semashko noted during his meeting with First Deputy Premier of Azerbaijan Yagub Eyubov in Minsk on 22 October.

“We should fill the bilateral relations with concrete content. We are looking forward this visit. I believe, this visit will be meaningful,” Vladimir Semashko noted.

The Belarusian Industry Ministry has prepared the draft program on setting up assembly production facilities in Azerbaijan. The program is expected to be discussed and submitted for consideration of the Azeri side in order to sign it by 12 November, Vladimir Semashko noted.

According to Vladimir Semashko, recently, the Belarusian and Azerbaijani sides have had a lot of meetings and contacts including a visit of Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky to Azerbaijan on 7 July 2009. Officials of the Belarusian Industry Ministry, the Architecture and Construction Ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food visited Azerbaijan as well. “We have concrete projects and we will develop them,” Vladimir Semashko said.

Yagub Eyubov thanked Vladimir Semashko for the invitation to pay a visit to Belarus. “Belarus preserved its industry. It develops and sets up new production facilities that it is a great potential for further expansion of the mutual trade,” Yagub Eyubov underscored.

According to Yagub Eyubov, over the nine months this year, Azerbaijan’s economic growth rates increased by 6.1% despite the crisis. Belarus and Azerbaijan have the possibility to intensify the mutually beneficial cooperation, he is sure.

In 2008, Azerbaijan ranked sixth in Belarus’ foreign trade, moving from the seventh up to sixth position in terms of export.

In 2008, the mutual trade in goods and services increased by 25.9% to $117.7 million. Belarusian export to Azerbaijan increased by 22% (up to $105.4 million), the import surged by 90.9% ($6.2 million). Belarus had a surplus of $99.2 million in trade with Azerbaijan. In 2008, the export of services made up $4.4 million, the import of services - $1.6 million.

All in all, for the past five years the bilateral trade has increased 10.7 times to exceed $100 million in 2008. Belarusian exports to Azerbaijan have surged 12 times over this period.

In January-August 2009 the trade between Belarus and Azerbaijan made up $71.5 million, down 9.6% over the same period 2008. The export reached $68.9 million, import - $2.6 million.

The Belarusian-Azerbaijani trade and economic cooperation is not export and import operations only. It includes production cooperation as well. Belarusian tractors, trucks, optical devices are assembled in Azerbaijan. The two countries are considering launching new assembly productions of Belarusian auto-cranes, lifts, medicines, window frames, and dairy products.

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