Baku, Doha discuss prospects for developing relations
The current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan, a leader in the South Caucasus region, and Persian Gulf state Qatar were on the agenda of Baku talks, as high-level Qatari delegation has visited the country.
The delegation led by Foreign Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani was first received by President Ilham Aliyev, who hailed the bilateral ties and described the political ties between the two countries as excellent.
The president noted that the visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Azerbaijan played an important role in developing bilateral relations between the two countries, adding that the visit of the Qatari FM paves the way for discussion of cooperation prospects.
Pointing to the activities of Azerbaijan-Qatar Joint Economic, Trade and Technical Commission, the head of state expressed his hope that the commission will focus on the practical issues of Azerbaijan-Qatar economic cooperation.
President Aliyev said there are good opportunities for expanding bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Qatar in economic, trade, tourism and other areas too, and noted the importance of exploring the investment opportunities in this regard.
The Qatari minister, in turn, conveyed greetings of the Emir of the State of Qatar to President Aliyev, saying the Emir is looking forward to welcoming the Azerbaijani president in his country.
President Aliyev said he is looking forward to visiting Qatar.
The minister further said that the ongoing development processes in Azerbaijan are followed with great interest in his country. Touching upon the economic cooperation, he expressed his hope that AzerbaijanQatar Joint Economic, Trade and Technical Intergovernmental Commission will work in a constructive manner.
The talks on prospective areas for the Azerbaijan-Qatar cooperation were continued at a meeting between Qatar’s FM and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.
The bilateral cooperation is developing day by day and the two countries’ positions coincide on international issues, said Mammadyarov at a joint briefing.
The Azerbaijani FM noted that Azerbaijan and Qatar plan to intensify economic cooperation. The two countries intend to develop cooperation in the energy sphere, agriculture, tourism, within international and regional organizations, said Mammadyarov adding that it is also planned to expand the contractual legal base.
The minister noted that 15 agreements on bilateral cooperation have been drafted, which are planned to be signed during the high-level negotiations to be held in Doha in 2017.
“As foreign ministers we will do our best to develop these relations,” the minister added.
Mammadyarov also noted the great potential for development of relations between the two countries in the tourism sector.
“The number of visitors from Qatar is growing every day and that is why it was decided to increase the number of flights of Qatar Airlines to Baku,” he said.
Abdulrahman Al-Thani, in turn, emphasizing the significance of expanding economic cooperation, noted that the establishment of a joint foundation is expedient in this regard.
The minister went on to say that Qatar supports Azerbaijan’s position on many issues.
On the same day, the first session of Azerbaijan-Qatar Joint Economic, Trade and Technical Intergovernmental Commission was held in Baku.
Prior to the session the two cochairs of the commission, Azerbaijani Minister of Emergency Situations Kamaladdin Heydarov and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani held a one-on-one meeting.
Heydarov noted that the documents of Azerbaijan-Qatar Joint Economic, Trade and Technical Intergovernmental Commission will soon transform into action.
The Qatari minister said that the joint commission will give its contributions to developing relations between the two countries. “The joint commission was launched in the beginning of 2016, during the visit of Emir of Qatar to Azerbaijan. We hope that the partnership between the two countries will cover all areas. The commission will play its positive role in expanding relations between the two brotherly countries,” Al-Thani said.
Trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $129,550 in January-November 2016, some $67,410 of which accounted for the export to Qatar, according to Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee.