The meeting was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev.
Alexei Overchuk holds the 24th meeting of the Russia-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation
Alexei Overchuk holds the 24th meeting of the Russia-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation
Alexei Overchuk holds the 24th meeting of the Russia-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation
The 24th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan was held in Zangelan, Azerbaijan. The session was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk and Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev, with representatives of relevant agencies from both countries in attendance.
The parties reviewed progress on the implementation of the decisions taken at the Commission’s 23rd meeting, which took place in Astrakhan on 22 August 2025, as well as the implementation of the action plan for deepening key areas of Russian‑Azerbaijani cooperation for 2024-2026. A wide range of issues relating to trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan, both in bilateral and multilateral formats, were discussed.
During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Overchuk expressed his gratitude to the leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan and to President Ilham Aliyev for their assistance in evacuating Russian citizens from the Islamic Republic of Iran and delivering Russian humanitarian aid to the Iranian people. He noted that the Azerbaijani side had provided all necessary support, helping to evacuate more than 500 Russian citizens and to deliver medicines and food supplies.
The co-chairs observed that relations between the two countries are mutually beneficial. Priority areas include joint efforts to develop regional transport connectivity, energy cooperation, investment activity, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, interregional ties, and cooperation in the Caspian Sea.
Russia is one of Azerbaijan’s key foreign economic partners. Bilateral transactions are carried out primarily in national currencies.
Russia and Azerbaijan are working together to enhance transport connectivity across Eurasia, in particular along the North-South corridor, where new value chains are emerging. The Deputy Prime Minister noted that special attention is being paid to developing the western route of the North-South International Transport Corridor and to implementing previously agreed commitments: “We intend to continue cooperation on the development and operation of this corridor, both bilaterally and trilaterally, with the participation of the Iranian side.”
The meeting participants commended the role of region-to-region ties in economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. In 2025, 75 constituent entities of the Russian Federation maintained trade and economic links with Azerbaijan. The most active were Moscow and St Petersburg, the Moscow, Chelyabinsk, Saratov, Sverdlovsk and Astrakhan regions, the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, and the Republic of Tatarstan. These regions account for more than 70 percent of bilateral trade.
The two countries place great value on developing cultural and humanitarian ties. A successful example of this cooperation was the reopening, on 27 March, of the Azerbaijan Musical and Drama Theatre in Derbent following major renovations, with the participation of the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan. Consideration is also being given to resuming cooperation between theatre companies and to the participation of the Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theatre in the Grand Tours programme under Russia’s National Tour and Concert Plan.
Tourism ties between Russia and Azerbaijan are growing: in 2025, Azerbaijani tourists made approximately 200,000 trips to Russia, while Russian tourists made over 500,000 trips to Azerbaijan.
“I would also like to highlight a joint project of our multilateral cooperation within the CIS – the Geoportal of the Commonwealth Spatial Data Infrastructure. It will provide an additional gateway to our official information resources, helping to enhance the tourism potential and investment attractiveness of our countries. The digital services we are jointly developing enable the search and exchange of information to meet the needs of citizens and businesses in tourism, education, employment and investment,” said Alexei Overchuk.
The Intergovernmental Commission is also focusing on cooperation in the field of education.
The Russian language is actively and fully used in the social and cultural life of modern Azerbaijan. Programmes and projects are being implemented in the republic, including those aimed at developing Russian-language education and the teaching of Russian. “We stand ready to expand cooperation in this area, based on the understanding that the Russian language is not only a window into the world of modern science and culture, but also a language of interethnic communication across the vast expanse of Eurasia. We aim to intensify efforts to establish a joint Russian‑Azerbaijani university under the auspices of St Petersburg State University, as well as to build schools at the embassies of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan in Baku and Moscow respectively,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
Following the meeting, the co-chairs signed the final protocol of the 24th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They reaffirmed their mutual commitment to continue constructive dialogue aimed at strengthening Russian‑Azerbaijani ties across all areas of cooperation, in accordance with the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan of 22 February 2022.
