Mikhail Mishustin and Ali Asadov met on the sidelines of a Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting.
Mikhail Mishustin’s meeting with Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov
Excerpts from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin: Mr Asadov, I am delighted to see you again. It is the first time we have met alongside a Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting. And it is very good that Azerbaijan is closely following the integration processes. We will respectfully show you the entire palette of our activities in the EAEU integration landscape.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to convey the warmest and best wishes from President of Russia Vladimir Putin to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. I have met with him in Moscow to discuss our bilateral agenda in detail; you and I met on several occasions too.
Our bilateral relations are growing; Russia has good, long-standing relations with Azerbaijan. What is important is that last year, bilateral trade reached a record high of $3.3 billion, 16 percent higher than the year before that. In the past six months, it reached $1.6 billion.
Ali Asadov: Even a little higher.
Mikhail Mishustin: Perhaps. It has increased by about 10 percent.
Ali Asadov: By 12 percent, according to our estimates.
Mikhail Mishustin: Mr Asadov, it's great that your figures are slightly higher. It's good that it is growing.
On 26 April, Baku hosted a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, co-chaired by Alexei Overchuk from Russia. We also actively participate in all events; an interregional forum has taken place. And it is very important to ensure support for all the decisions our presidents have made as part of the trilateral commission of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to reduce tensions in the region. I would like to thank you again for your fruitful work and for the opportunity to discuss our agenda in detail today. Thank you.
Ali Asadov: Mr Mishustin, thank you for your kind words. I would also like to comment on this. It is always a pleasure to meet with you. I remember my official visit to Moscow at your invitation. I, personally, was impressed, and so were the other members of the delegation. I know how much effort you have made. You and I have met at other venues as part of CIS meetings. We often speak on the phone if necessary. I would like to thank you for this. Russia has always been an important political and economic partner of Azerbaijan, and we hope this will continue. We have centuries-old historical ties.
I would like to note, in particular, that on 22 February, Russia and Azerbaijan signed a very important document on allied relations as part of our President's visit, at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. This speaks volumes about our ties and defines the tasks that our heads of state set for their governments. I am talking about my Government, and I hope that the same tasks have been set for the Russian Government.
There has been progress in bilateral relations, especially in economic ties. You mentioned the figures, and I allowed myself to correct them a little. But as you said, Mr Mishustin, that adjustment is for the good. I hope that such changes will always be for the better.
Mikhail Mishustin: To the advantage of both countries.
Ali Asadov: Yes. Thank you. I would also like to talk about today's agenda. A large part of it has to do with the most recent events that have taken place in our region. Our President always highlights Russia’s role in decision-making on these matters. The trilateral Working Group, led by our deputy prime ministers, is putting a lot of effort into this work, in particular with regard to transport, and we hope that this will continue in the future.
You spoke about the intergovernmental commission co-chaired by deputy prime ministers. Mr Overchuk is present here today, and he is doing a lot for bilateral relations – my deputy, Shahin Mustafayev, always mentions this.
I know that in the near future, in September, we will again be happy to receive your deputies, in particular Mr Novak. The issues they are working on are quite critical and relevant for both our side and, I believe, for the Russian Federation.
As for all other matters, I would like to say once again that at a time like this, when the world has concerns about the supply of food, fertilisers and so on, thanks to the agreements reached by the intergovernmental commission, we have been importing wheat and grain from the Russian Federation for many years. These matters are relevant this year as well. Quotas have been determined, including for fertilisers. It is important, I think, because it is of interest on a parity basis.
For my part, I would like to thank you once again, Mr Mishustin. During my visit to the Russian Federation, you gave instructions at the Government House of Russia, concerning Azerbaijan's agricultural products, the standards and figures. I hope that the positive trends will continue, and we will resolve any problems we have. Thank you again.
In conclusion, Mr Mishustin – I told you today, and I will speak publicly about this at the meeting tomorrow – I would like to thank you personally. For a long time, you have made every effort to ensure that Azerbaijan – in this particular case, the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan – participates in these meetings. I am sincerely grateful to you for this.
We're here today, we're here. Thank you.
Mikhail Mishustin: Thank you, Mr Asadov.
