ArmInfo. Lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus fully meet the fundamental interests of all states and peoples in this region. Russian leader Vladimir Putin said in a statement to the media on August 19 in Baku, following talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. According to him, at today's talks they did not ignore the current state of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. "I would like to emphasize that Russia will continue to do everything possible to promote the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian cooperation and the conclusion of a peace treaty based on the well-known trilateral agreements reached by the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia in 2020-2022. We are also ready to facilitate the delimitation and demarcation of the border, considering that we have relevant documents from the Soviet Union, the unblocking of cross-border routes, and the establishment of humanitarian contacts. We proceed from the fact that lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus fully meet the fundamental interests of all states and peoples in this region," he noted.
The Russian leader also mentioned that several regional issues on the regional agenda were discussed during the talks, taking into consideration Azerbaijan's role in the Caspian region and in Transcaucasia. Speaking about Azerbaijani-Russian relations, Putin emphasized that Russia attaches great importance to the development of multifaceted friendly relations with Azerbaijan based on the principles of mutual respect for state sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, equality, and non-interference in each other's affairs.
"Russia and Azerbaijan closely coordinate their efforts at key multilateral platforms, including the UN and, of course, the Commonwealth of Independent States. In October, we will be glad to see Ilham Heydarovich at a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Moscow, as well as at an outreach meeting that will be held as part of the BRICS summit in Kazan in October this year," the Russian leader said. "A lot of attention was paid to the expansion of mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation during the talks. This emphasis is natural, because Russia and Azerbaijan are important economic partners. As I mentioned at the beginning of our meeting today, our trade turnover is a little over four billion dollars, and it is growing. This year it has already increased by 17 percent in the first half of the year. There is also more than four billion [dollars] of direct investment in the Azerbaijani economy. Additionally, almost 1,300 enterprises [with Russian participation] are operating in the Azerbaijani market indicate positive development prospects," the Russian president added.
At the same time, he added that Russian companies feel quite comfortable in the Azerbaijani market. He specifically highlighted the activities of the Russian United Shipbuilding Corporation, which, together with the Baku Shipyard, is beginning to produce modern river-sea tankers for the transportation of oil products. The heads of the state stressed the importance of further strengthening bilateral industrial and agricultural cooperation, expanding tourism and transit flows, including through the development of air transport, as well as rail and cargo transportation and infrastructure along the "North-South" international transport corridor.
"In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again that we are definitely satisfied with the results of the visit. I am confident that the negotiations held today and the agreements reached will further strengthen the Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership," he summarazied.
