On October 6, the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum with the participation of the heads of government of the Caspian states, including the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov, began work in the capital of the Russian Federation of Moscow, the Cabinet of Ministers said.
Forum participants first negotiated in a narrow format, summing up the results of the sixth Caspian summit, held on June 29 in Ashgabat.
Then a plenary meeting of the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum took place.
Having performed at the meeting, Prime Minister Ali Assadov said that cooperation with the Caspian states occupies a special place in the foreign policy strategy of Azerbaijan and covers many areas, including security, trade and economic cooperation, transport, environmental issues, as well as other areas representing mutual interest.
He also said that due to the decline in the pandemic, the trade turnover of Azerbaijan with the Caspian states demonstrates growth, in particular, increasing by more than 45%since the beginning of the year.
The Prime Minister in his speech noted the significant contribution of Azerbaijan to the implementation and development of international transport corridors of the East-West and the North Yug, which pass through the Caspian Sea. He noted that work is currently underway to increase the transshipment capacities of the Baku port, which is the key link in these corridors.
In this regard, Assadov quoted the problem of the shallowing of the Caspian, urging the Caspian countries to take measures to deepen the sea bottom for a full transportation of goods.
He informed the participants in the event about the possibilities of the civilian freight of Azerbaijan, as well as the Baku shipyard, it was brought to the attention that all the Caspian states can be used by its capabilities.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the current new realities after the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan make it possible to expand the possibilities of transport routes in the region: “Today we are actively working on the development of regional transport and communication projects. In this sense, the opening of the Zangesur corridor is of very important importance,”, – emphasized Assadov.
He was also indicated by the great possibilities of the Caspian states to increase cooperation in the field of energy.
Touching the environmental problems of the Caspian, the Prime Minister said that Azerbaijan is making great efforts to decision, in this regard that in October the 6th conference of the parties to the defense of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea is planned in Baku.
The Prime Minister expressed the readiness of Azerbaijan and continue to make all efforts to build multilateral cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the Caspian states.
Following the results of the plenary meeting, the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum was signed.