On April 10, the Azerbaijani delegation headed by President Ilham Aliyev is leaving for Kazakhstan, and a package of documents is expected to be signed during this visit. On April 7, a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission was held in Baku, and the parties agree on important issues. In particular, the governments of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have agreed to increase the volume of intermodal rail cargo transportation on the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan-Turkey/Europe-Kazakhstan route through Baku with the attraction of new cargo in these directions. As part of the development of the Middle Corridor, the parties agreed to take measures to increase the capacity of the ports of Baku, Aktau and Kuryk. Baku and Astana agreed to hold the third meeting of working groups on the issues of transportation of Kazakh oil and petroleum products in transit through Azerbaijan as soon as possible (transit of 1.5 million tons of oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in 2023 from the Tengiz, Kashagan and Karachaganak fields has been precisely negotiated, other transit opportunities are on the negotiating table), as well as the supply of any oil products and liquefied gas from Kazakhstan to Baku. Baku is unlikely to buy or provide transit of liquefied gas, an informed source told Baku. As for the import or transit of Kazakh oil products, everything will depend on the commercial attractiveness of the proposals. The parties are also interested in the participation of companies from both countries in auctions for renewable energy. The Kazakh side notes the need to continue cooperation in the transit of uranium products through the territory of Azerbaijan (!). In the information technology sphere, the parties determined that the joint strategic telecommunications corridor between Europe and Asia through the Caspian Sea within the framework of the Digital Silk Road project will be implemented by ‘AzerTelecom’ and ‘Kazakhtelecom’. It also seems promising to determine the areas of cooperation between the Aerospace Committee of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan and the ‘AzerCosmos’ space agency of the Ministry of Finance of Azerbaijan (the parties may reach an agreement in October 2023 within the framework of the 74th International Astronautics Congress in Baku). In the agricultural sphere, there will be an exchange of information on products with export potential, exchange of experience in the field of horse breeding and sheep breeding, veterinary issues. On transport – JSC “KazakhExport ESC” offered the Azerbaijani side, in case of purchase of Kazakhstani locomotives and other high-tech products, works or services, to use the possibility of subsidizing the remuneration rate when financing in Kazakh second-tier banks. JSC “Development Bank of Kazakhstan” under the insurance coverage of JSC “KazakhExport” up to the level of the CIRR rate with financing in US dollars, Euros or up to 50% of the base rate of the National Bank of Kazakhstan. Kazakh investments can be attracted to the process of restoration and sustainable development of the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. The issue of expediency of concluding an agreement in the field of pension provision will be studied. The parties also recognized the importance of developing cooperation in the field of health, education, and culture. In the tourism sphere, familiarization tours for experts from Kazakhstan will be organized. The interaction of diasporas will continue. The next, 20th meeting of the interparliamentary commission of both states will be held in 2024 in Astana.

Source: Turan News Agency