(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. Thanks to theefforts of both state heads, Azerbaijani-Russian ties aresuccessfully evolving, as evidenced by President Ilham Aliyev'svisit to Moscow at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin,marking the beginning of a new stage in their relations.
Azerbaijani-Russian political ties
Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia wereestablished on April 4, 1992, with the mutual opening of embassiesthat same year. The Consulate General of Azerbaijan in St was inaugurated in 2004, followed by the opening inYekaterinburg in 2010.
In addition to direct contacts between the heads of state,political ties between Azerbaijan and Russia are also robustlyconducted at the parliamentary level, as highlighted by theinter-parliamentary commission on bilateral cooperation between theMilli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan and the Federation Councilof the Federal Assembly of Russia. A total of 263 agreements havebeen signed, covering various spheres of cooperation.
An especially noteworthy document is the Declaration on AlliedInteraction signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and theRussian Federation in 2022.
Azerbaijani-Russian economic relations
Russia is one of the main trade partners of Azerbaijan and leadsamong the countries to which non-oil products from Azerbaijan areexported.
The volume of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia fromJanuary through August 2023 amounted to $2.78 million, includingimports of $1.99 million and exports of $794.47 million.
From January through August 2023, the share of Russia in theforeign trade turnover of Azerbaijan amounted to 7.85 percent (3rdplace), including 17.87 percent in imports (1st place) and 3.26percent in exports (5th place).
Russia's investments in Azerbaijan in all spheres so faramounted to about $8.5 billion ($6.4 billion in the non-oilsector), while our country has invested about $6.4 billion ($1.1billion in the non-oil sector) in Russia.
A total of 22 companies from Russia applied to participate inthe reconstruction and construction works carried out inKarabakh.
Cultural ties
Cultural relations between the two nations continue to flourish,with notable events in 2023 highlighting this dynamic growth. OnFebruary 2, 2023, a concert featuring soloists of the AzerbaijanState Chamber Orchestra was held at the Russian House in Baku tocelebrate the 105th anniversary of the esteemed Azerbaijanicomposer, scientist, and People's Artist of the USSR, GaraGarayev.
Last year, on April 11–12, Baku hosted the Theater Forum as partof the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of NationalLeader Heydar Aliyev.
Further enhancing cultural ties, on August 7, 2023, PresidentIlham Aliyev bestowed the "Sharaf" order upon Yuli Gusman for hisoutstanding contributions to fostering cultural relations betweenAzerbaijan and Russia.
Certainly, the list of events and achievements can beextended.
Ties in the sphere of education
For the 2023/2024 school year, there are 324 general educationinstitutions in Azerbaijan where education is provided in Russian,compared to 329 last year. These schools catered to 153,645students (down from 158,754 last year). Additionally, 801,227students learned Russian as a second foreign language. Among the 20institutions of higher education under the Ministry of Science andEducation, 14 offer courses in Russian.
Across the country, a total of 28 higher education institutionsprovide education in Russian, with 16,153 students enrolled inRussian-language programs during the 2022/2023 academic year. Thequota for Azerbaijani citizens studying at higher educationinstitutions in Russia was 250 for the 2022/2023 academic year andincreased to 270 places for the 2023/2024 academic year.
These statistical figures, coupled with signed agreements andreciprocal visits by state leaders, provide a solid foundation toassert that Azerbaijani-Russian relations are on an upwardtrajectory.
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