"Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are good-neighborliness and mutual trust, and we intend to develop them further," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told Russian Bureau of Report News Agency .
"Since last year, a lot has been done to expand and strengthen our relations. Of course, the meetings of our leaders set the tone. Over the past year, presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev met six times. And it sets a good tone," Russian Deputy FM said.
"If we turn to trade, last year we increased mutual trade by almost 14%. This is a very significant figure. New opportunities for interregional cooperation are opening. 17 Russian regions have direct agreements with partners in Azerbaijan," Karasin said.
According to him, the number of Russian tourists visiting Azerbaijan is also growing: "Last year 800,000 Russians visited Azerbaijan. Contacts between people create an atmosphere that is necessary for the relationship to really be mature."
The Deputy Minister also noted that 15,000 citizens of Azerbaijan study in Russian universities. "We are proud that branches of leading Russian universities are opening in Azerbaijan and enjoy the support of the President of Azerbaijan and the government of the country."
"Last year, an important event was the signing of the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Work on this continued than 20 years. So we will move forward," Karasin concluded.