Czech minister: "We plan incoming and outgoing missions in cooperation with Azerbaijani side" - INTERVIEW

Baku. 21 February. REPORT.AZ/ Newly-appointed Minister of Industry and Trade of Czech Republic Marta Nováková’s interview to Report:

- Ms. Minister, you paid your first visit as a minister to Azerbaijan in late 2018. Can you inform about this visit?

- I was accompanied by the business delegation during my trip to Azerbaijan, where my first foreign visit as minister was leading in September 2018. During this trip I led a number of beneficial negotiations that brought series of suggestions concerning engagement of Czech enterprises in those economic sectors as are transportation and infrastructure, energetics, environmental technologies, healthcare, agriculture. Czech companies could look for opportunities in fields, which are activating in effort of Azerbaijani government for economic diversification and a support of developing non-oil sectors of economic.

- There was news that Czech Republic has desire to create joint ventures with Azerbaijan on the production of electro buses. Are there any steps on this topic?

- Joint enterprises are one of the interesting options for partnership on a business level. As for electro buses, during my working visit to Azerbaijan in September 2018 the negotiations about cooperation on topic of electro buses in Azerbaijan were not on the program. In the past, Azerbaijan was cooperating on reconstruction of the city transportation fleet with company Iveco Czech Republic, which delivered 151 CNG buses for the capital Baku to Azerbaijan. We have not got this information confirmed yet, but the Czech Republic would welcome any negotiations on the topic of the cooperation in the field of electro buses.

Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Marta Nováková: ‘Czech companies could look for opportunities in fields, which are activating in effort of Azerbaijani government for economic diversification and a support of developing non-oil sectors of economic’

- When will the next meeting of Azerbaijan-Czech Republic Intergovernmental Commission be held?

- Joint Commission on Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation between the Government of the Czech Republic and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan has an important role in developing of our relationships. The last, Fourth Session was held in January 2017 in Baku, date of a new meeting is now discussed in the working order. Also, I can reveal that I preliminary proposed the date of the next meeting on April 2019. In 2019 we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Eastern Partnership. On this occasion, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic decided to organize an economic ministerial conference aimed at analysing the trade-economic reforms and the process of economic convergence, which the partner countries have undergone in the past decade and its future. The conference will take place on 16 and 17 April in Prague. The representatives from all Eastern Partnership Member States (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine) were invited already. I know it is not bilateral event, but I would consider it to be major event for the relations of the EU, the Czech Republic and the member states of the Eastern Partnership.

Moreover, we plan incoming and outgoing missions in 2019 in cooperation with Azerbaijani side, which should deepen mutual cooperation.