Foreign Minister: Netherlands are one of traditional partners for Azerbaijan

The Netherlands are one of traditional partners for Azerbaijan since we’ve regained independence, reads an article by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, published in the Diplomat Magazine.

Azerbaijan considers the Netherlands a close ally and a reliable partner in both bilateral and multilateral field. The relations between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan have been growing on a positive scale for the last twenty-seven years – ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations on April 1, 1992.

The relations are built on mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty and existing cooperation cover areas such as trade, logistics, agriculture, education, tourism and etc. The scale of trade and investment between the two countries attest to the importance of economic relations. For instance, foreign trade turnover between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan in 2018 was 181.83 million USD, of which 77.9 million USD was export

of Azerbaijani products to the Netherlands and 103.8 USD was import of Dutch products to Azerbaijan.

The Netherlands continues to remain as one of the top investors in the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan. Dutch companies implement large-scale projects in fields such as logistics, transport, environmental protection and agriculture. Among the successfully implemented projects, we can name the planning, design, engineering and construction of Baku International Sea Trade Port, providing environmental solutions to pollution of lakes by oil spills and urbanisation in Absheron Peninsula, construction of a model farm in Azerbaijan based on Dutch agricultural experience and know-how.

Today, the foreign policy achievements of our country, which is regarded as a reliable partner, are of course based on establishing good cooperative relations with neighboring countries and other countries of the world, as well as implementing equal dialogue and cooperation based on mutual interests. Our foreign policy priorities include the strengthening of sovereignty and independence of the country, elimination of consequences of military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan and restoration of its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, as well as, the continuation of large-scale infrastructure projects implemented with the initiative and participation of Azerbaijan, further development of mutually beneficial cooperation with all international actors, including states, associations and international organizations.

And on the way to the realization of these constructive goals, we hope to continue a true partnership with our largest economic partners represented by the EU countries, including the Netherlands.