Political scientist: Latvia & Azerbaijan seeking closer relations

Latvia and Azerbaijan are seeking closer economic and investment relations, which is a positive trend, Director of the Latvian Institute of International Affairs Karlis Bukovskis told Report.

He noted that Latvian–Azerbaijan bilateral relations are at a normal and natural stage considering the geographical location and the geopolitical vectors that either of the countries has chosen.

“The economic cooperation could be always more intensive, but the European Union legal and political framework in which the cooperation takes place needs to be reckoned with,” he said.

"The average trade turnover between two countries is only slightly more than 20 million. And Azerbaijan’s export to Latvia is a small part of that. Hence, more options for mutual exports, product recognizability and common investments must be encouraged,” he added.

"Greater integration in trade in services would be a major asset. Increased collaboration in trade in education system-related products would be a major field to look at” Bukovskis concluded.