(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 27. The bilateral
relations between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic revived over
the past after a previous slowdown, due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
and the cooperation developed in many directions, Jaroslav
Kurfürst, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic,
told trend in an exclusive
interview.
'Trade and economic cooperation is among the top priorities of
our bilateral relations. The trade statistics of 2022, which was
significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, have shown
gradual recovery and impressive year-on-year growth. According to
the data of the Czech Statistical Office, the trade turnover in the
period from January through November 2022 has increased by 116
percent, which is really promising,' he said.
According to the deputy minister, a gradual return of Czech
companies to the Azerbaijani market has been observed from the
second half of 2022, with the revival of these business activities
supported by the resumption of the direct Prague-Baku air
route.
Further speaking, the official noted that, currently, the Czech
Republic is exploring opportunities to expand its presence in the
transport connectivity and energy sectors in Azerbaijan.
'In the previous decade, the most important Czech investment
projects in Azerbaijan were in the field of transport
infrastructure. Our flagship project, the reconstruction of the
Azerbaijani part of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Corridor, was
completed by a group of our companies led by Moravia Steel in 2019.
As we are approaching a new and very different era, we are hoping
for new investment opportunities for our companies in Azerbaijan in
the sphere of connectivity and energy,' he said.
According to the deputy minister, the cooperation between
Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic in the energy field is of
strategic importance.
'A pilot project completed by Czech companies in the Garavalli
village school in the Shamakhi region in 2018 was aimed at raising
awareness about the efficient use of energy resources. We consider
bilateral cooperation in these areas important; therefore the
Czech-Azerbaijani Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Energy
was signed during the visit of our Minister of Foreign Affairs in
Baku in September 2021,' he said.
The implementation of the Agreement may boost the bilateral
cooperation in the field of diversification of the energy supplies,
as well as the involvement of Czech companies in projects focusing
on energy efficiency and renewables, Kurfürst noted.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has also been talking about
activities promoting economic and trade cooperation with relevant
Azerbaijani institutions, Kurfürst noted.
'The prospects for cooperation are broad, they are based on the
friendly relations between our countries and our Strategic
Partnership. However, this year is a bit special since on January
27, we are celebrating together the 30th anniversary of the
establishment of our mutual diplomatic relations. We are confident
that we will successfully use this opportunity to further
strengthen cooperation with Azerbaijan in many areas. We would very
much welcome the development of relations between our parliaments
and will focus on further strengthening our high-level political
dialogue,' he said.
According to the deputy minister, the earliest bilateral event
scheduled for 2023 is the 5th Session of the Joint Commission on
Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation and
accompanying business forum in Prague in early March.
'This event will certainly intensify the discussion in the
various fields of cooperation between the two countries,' he
noted.
As Kurfürst pointed out, Czech businessmen are keen to explore
new opportunities in the Azerbaijani market.
'Our economic and energy cooperation already has a deep
tradition and we believe that we will succeed in developing it
further. Czech companies are very much interested in business
cooperation with their Azerbaijani counterparts; hence several
projects to assist Czech entrepreneurs at Azerbaijani market will
be supported by our government during this year. The undergoing
preparation of the Czech stand at the Azerbaijan International
Travel and Tourism Fair and the Caspian Agro fairs is also worth
mentioning. At the same time, currently, several projects are in
the initial stage of discussion. We believe that the upcoming 5th
Session of the Joint Commission on Economic, Scientific-Technical
and Cultural Cooperation and accompanying business forum in Prague
in early March will provide further momentum,' he concluded.