Mexican envoy points to expanding trade cooperation

Azerbaijanis can now easily get Mexican visa in Baku as the Mexican Consulate opened in the country.

Mexican Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Rodrigo Labardini said that from now on, there is no need to apply to the Mexican embassies in Moscow and Istanbul for getting a visa to Mexico.

The envoy, addressing a press conference on November 29, mentioned that the consulate was opened in September, but technical procedures took some time.

A multiple entry visa costs $36 and a visa is issued for six months. Upon arrival in Mexico, the visa holder is permitted to stay in the country for a certain number of days within the visa validity period.

Labardini further added that tourism cooperation between Azerbaijan and Mexico is growing.

Some 148 Azerbaijani citizens visited Mexico in 2015 and the number of tourists is expected to increase to 500 in 2016, he said, adding the number of Mexican tourists willing to visit Azerbaijan also increased.

The envoy mentioned that Mexico is among nine most popular tourist destinations in the world, with 32 million tourists visiting Mexico annually.

Speaking about the possibility of launching the Baku-Mexico direct flight, the ambassador stressed that it has not been planned yet.

Labardini said that Mexico is far away from Baku and there are some difficulties for launching a direct flight.

“Moreover, the Mexican airports are very busy today,” he said. “However, a new airport is being built now, and after its commissioning, Mexico will rank third in the world for the number of airports.”

Labardini clarified that it is possible to get from Baku to Mexico through Frankfurt, Paris, London or New York. The ambassador said negotiations are underway to launch the Mexico-Istanbul direct flight.

If the talks are successful, Azerbaijanis will be able to fly to Mexico through Istanbul, he said.

The trade cooperation between Azerbaijan and Mexico is developing successfully, Labardini further noted.

The opening of diplomatic missions contributed to increasing of the trade turnover between the two countries, reaching its peak after the opening of the embassies, trade volume remains at a high level, according to him.

He pointed out that Mexico is a major producer of electrical appliances, pipes and various equipments for the oil industry. Moreover, it is one of the biggest exporters of beer and other products of the food industry and is ready to offer these products to Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Mexico amounted to $19.03 million in January-September 2016, as compared to $20.76 million in the same period of 2015.

Azerbaijan’s export to Mexico amounted to $188,100 and import amounted to $18.84 million in the first nine months of 2016.

Mexico recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991 and the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Mexico was opened in 2007 while the Mexican Embassy in Azerbaijan was opened in 2014.