BRI winning hearts and minds in Azerbaijan

Increasing trade volume

Thanks to its geographic location, Azerbaijan boasts great wine as well as tea, dried fruit, fruit juice and sweets. The country has had extensive discussions about exporting Azerbaijan agricultural products to China, Hajiyev said, adding Azerbaijani companies are actively taking part in food and agricultural exhibitions in China to promote their products, as the Chinese market is the one of the biggest markets in the world with immense opportunities.

Azerbaijan sent a delegation to the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai last November. "This kind of expo is extremely important, and provides a chance for Azerbaijan to reach out to the Chinese market and establish contact with Chinese companies," Hajiyev said, adding last year's event was extremely helpful to Azerbaijan and helped traders to understand the requirements and demands of the Chinese market.

Almost 50 percent of China's trade with the Caucasus region are from Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan has invested $1.7 billion in Chinese securities. Current trade volume between China and Azerbaijan is above $1.5 billion, and Hajiyev believes there is still more to do to promote bilateral trade, as the two countries have very good relations.

Companies from the two countries are engaged in projects for the petrochemical industry, and the two countries can touch upon other strategic areas such as energy and communication, the foreign affairs head added.

Hajiyev also noted multilateralism should be further promoted in free trade. Good governance, trust, peace and cooperation should be promoted at an international level, he said.