The 6th meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova was held in Baku.

First, the participants of the meeting commemorated the memory of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev in the Alley of Honor and laid flowers at his grave. Then, the memory of the outstanding ophthalmologist-scientist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva was honored and flowers were laid at her grave.

The delegation also commemorated the memory of the heroic sons of the Motherland who gave their lives for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in the Alley of Martyrs and laid flowers at their graves.

Then, the 6th meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova began its work.

Opening the event with an introductory speech, the Azerbaijani co-chair of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova, Minister of Agriculture Majnun Mammadov, provided information on the reforms implemented in our country towards diversifying the economy. The minister, who said that relations between our countries have been developing successfully in all areas for 30 years, noted the importance of taking steps aimed at further diversifying trade relations and increasing trade turnover, taking into account the economic potential. The co-chair said that joint business forums and mutual participation in international exhibitions can further strengthen cooperation between the business circles of the two countries.

Noting that large-scale reconstruction work is currently being carried out in the liberated territories, the minister expressed confidence that Azerbaijan can use the best practices of Moldova and other partner countries in reconstruction and construction work. Recalling that our country has a reliable and favorable business environment, the minister called on Moldovan entrepreneurs to invest in Azerbaijan, as well as to effectively use the transport and logistics capabilities of our republic: “Azerbaijan has become one of the reliable transport and logistics centers of the Eurasian region. Seaports, railways, airports and highways, modern transport infrastructure connecting East and West, South and North, give us great advantages to increase our effective trade relations. I call on investors from both sides to make the most of the advantages of economic zones in Azerbaijan and Moldova”.

Minister Majnun Mammadov added that the Azerbaijani government has various successful projects in the field of e-governance. It was noted that pilot projects are being implemented in various regions of Moldova based on the DOST model, which is one of Azerbaijan’s successful projects: “We have reached a mutual agreement to continue cooperation with Moldova in this direction and to share our best practices”.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Co-Chairman of the Azerbaijan-Moldova Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation Vladimir Bolea, in turn, said that his country is a friendly country with Azerbaijan and is interested in developing partnership relations in all areas. It was emphasized that there is great potential for expanding partnership between the two countries in the economic, as well as agricultural, sectors. It was noted that the transfer of modern technologies in the agricultural sector, joint scientific research, training of specialists in the agricultural sector and export of agricultural products could be the main directions of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Moldova in the agricultural sector.

Then, the meeting participants discussed the implementation of the decisions adopted at the 5th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Moldova Joint Intergovernmental Commission held in Chisinau on December 6, 2023, and noted that important work has been done in this direction. The meeting exchanged views on the directions of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Moldova, energy, transport, agriculture, technology transfer, increasing trade turnover, promoting mutual investments, international cargo transportation, using the advantages created by the Middle Corridor when exporting products to third countries, and other issues.

The parties agreed to increase the number of direct flights, taking into account the great tourism potential between the two countries.

At the end of the meeting, the protocol on the results of the 6th meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Moldova was approved. The document envisages increasing trade turnover between the two countries, further developing bilateral cooperation in the fields of agriculture, food security, energy, transport, scientific and technical and humanitarian, social, healthcare, culture, intellectual property, environment, sports and tourism. The final protocol also reflects the intention to further improve the legal and regulatory framework of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Later, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the veterinary field was signed between the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the National Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Moldova. The memorandum envisages the expansion of mutual cooperation in the veterinary field. The meeting also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding “On Promotion of Cooperation in the Field of Renewable Energy” between the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under the Ministry of Energy and the National Sustainable Energy Center under the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Moldova. The memorandum also includes the expansion of the exchange of experience in the field of energy, the development of cooperation on research initiatives to develop renewable energy technologies and innovative solutions. The parties agreed to hold the 7th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Moldova Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in Chisinau next year.