Baku, 12 June 2023 (TDI): To celebrate 30 years of friendship with Belarus, a milestone event commenced today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan in Baku.
The event is attended by Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov and Belarus Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Andrei Ravkov, among others.
Presidents Exchanged Letters of Congratulations
On the occasion of celebrating three decades of diplomatic partnership, the Belarusian President and his Azerbaijani counterpart exchanged letters of congratulations on 11 June.
They expressed their deepest gratitude while recognizing decades of fruitful ties and interactions in the political, economic and humanitarian sectors at bilateral as well as multilateral foras.
The relations between the two countries are characterized by energetic political dialogues, all-inclusive contacts and effective cooperation in the economic, trade and humanitarian fields, asserted the Azerbaijani President in the letter.
The two sides look forward to uncovering opportunities in a variety of new and diverse potential sectors through joint action to foster future relations as well as developing a number of joint initiatives and projects.
Development of Azerbaijan-Belarus ties
Azerbaijan and Belarus share economic and political ties along with a common history as both were part of the Soviet Union prior to its disintegration in 1991.
The protocol for the establishment of relations was signed on 11 June 1993. This was followed by the opening of the Belarus embassy in Baku in February 2006 and that of Azerbaijan in Minsk in August of the same year.
In November 2016, Belarusian President Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko paid the first official visit to Azerbaijan, whereas the latter visited in November 2018.
Minsk and Baku also share collective memberships in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Mutual Trade Cooperation
Both countries trade 300 types of goods, with over 270 enterprises engaged in mutual economic activities.
Azerbaijan exports petroleum products, tobacco, polyethylene and other chemical products, chocolate, fruit juices, and other things to Belarus.
On the other hand, Belarusian exports to Azerbaijan include medicines, wood and wood materials, plastic products, wires, agricultural products, and other things akin to them.
Since 2007, several industrial joint projects have also been launched, such as assembly lines for Belarussian tractors and trucks.
The two post-Soviet states have so far shared strong ties and expressed confidence in their further development.
