Azerbaijan and Croatia held the first meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation in Baku on November 28. The meeting was focused on the development and deepening of cooperation between the two countries in all spheres. The sides have made serious progress in the political, economic and humanitarian areas of cooperation and have established a broad legal basis for the development of relations. They have agreed to expand cooperation in chemistry, recycling, light industry, shipbuilding and pharmacy to further expand cooperation.
During the meeting the co-chairman from the Azerbaijani side, Azerbaijan’s Taxes Minister Fazil Mammadov and the co-chairman of the Croatian side, Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Martina Dalich, considered bilateral cooperation issues.
Two sides discussed important trends that occurred after the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Croatia including mutual visits of the Presidents of the two countries, high level meetings between the two countries, and some 20 agreements signed on the mutual relations of two countries.
Mammadov said that the Commission was set up in Zagreb on March 11, 2013 under the “Agreement on Economic Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Croatia” and will promote the development of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
By the end of 2016, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $284.700, of which $51.200 was for the import of goods to Azerbaijan, and exports to Croatia reached $233.500. In January-September of 2017, the trade turnover between the countries amounted to $105,000.
Noting that one of the important directions facing the Commission was to support expansion of economic relations, Mammadov expressed confidence that the reached negotiations, agreements, and the signed documents will promote the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.
The minister said that business relations played an important role in expanding economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Croatia and noted that there were four business forums in the two countries that are important for the development of direct contacts between business circles.
Emphasizing that there are many promising areas for bilateral relations between the two countries, Mammadov noted that in recent years various new industrial parks and attractive conditions for investors, including tax incentives, in the parks have been created in Azerbaijan.
Stressing the importance of energy cooperation, the minister said that Croatia is interested in the implementation of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project, which aims to deliver Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe. Azerbaijan is also one of the signatories to the Memorandum of on Mutual Understanding, Support and Cooperation in the Construction of TAP and Ion-Adriatic Gas Pipelines.
Dalich, for his part, noted that they are open for cooperation based on mutual interests and friendship principles. She noted that the political, economic and humanitarian relations between Azerbaijan and Croatia are developing, adding that the first meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation would contribute to further strengthening of successful cooperation in various spheres.
Baku and Zagreb have wide opportunities for realizing their potential in the fields of industry, energy, transport, sports, tourism, education, especially in the field of information technology, the Croatian minister noted.
Dalich stressed that they will make efforts to further expand the Croatian-Azerbaijani relations.
At the end of the meeting, a protocol on the outcomes of the first meeting of the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Croatia was signed by the co-chairs of the commission.
