BELARUS - AZERBAIJAN: THE SIDES OF COOPERATION
On September 29, the first meeting of the Belarus-Azerbaijan working group on agriculture and food safety was held in the online format, in which representatives of the BSAA also took part. On-line broadcasting took place at the Center of academic development.
The beginning of diplomatic relations between our republics was laid on June 11, 1993, shortly after the collapse of the USSR. Since 1994, the Agreement on the Creation of a Free Trade Area has been in force between the countries, which has served to strengthen business ties in various areas of cooperation.
In April 2021, during the state visit of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to Azerbaijan and negotiations with his colleague Ilham Aliyev, it was confirmed that relations between the countries are developing dynamically and are free from various manifestations. At the same time, the Belarusian leader welcomed the agreements on a complete cessation of hostilities in the zone of the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict. During the visit, a new package of documents on cooperation was signed. Some of them relate to the further development of relations in the field of agriculture.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Ivan Krupko was among the participants of the official Belarusian delegation in Azerbaijan. I.Krupko held series of talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Inam Kerimov.
And in early June, as part of the work of the Belagro-2021 International Specialized Exhibition, the dialogue between them on the agrarian topic was continued in Minsk, where the Azerbaijani delegation had come. At the same time, an agreement was reached on the creation of a working group in the field of agriculture and food safety.
The oldest higher agrarian educational istablishment in Belarus, Russia and the CIS - BSAA also takes part in this dialogue. More recently, on September 15, 2021, a group of scientists and lecturers from the Institute of Food Safety of Azerbaijan and the Russian Agricultural University from the city of Blagoveshchensk visited the Academy. The main scientific interest of the guests was the training of specialists in the fishing industry.
On September 29, in the format of a video conference, a meeting of the first working Belarus-Azerbaijan group on agriculture and food safety was held, in which representatives of the BSAA also took part: First Vice-Rector A.V. Kolmykov, Vice-Rector for Science Y.L.Tibets, Director of College for Advanced Training and Retraining of Personnel A.S.Chechetkin and others. The Belarusian moderator was Igor Brylo, First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, and his colleague from Baku moderated Azerbaijan side. During the conversation of equal business partners, various sides of cooperation were discussed on the declared "track." The Azerbaijan side emphasized with particular respect the fact that Belarus is a reliable partner, and both states have great potential for further strengthening and development of these relations.
During the Belarus-Azerbaijan dialogue, many figures were heard. For example, the trade between Belarus and Azerbaijan increased 3.5 times over the last five years, while exports of Belarusian agricultural products grew by 10.7%. Last year, the trade between the countries reached 35 million US dollars, which is 5.3% higher than in the previous year.
A vivid illustration of these trade relations with the "Belarusian colouring" was the participation of domestic manufacturers in the exhibition, which took place on June,10 this year in Azerbaijan. Novelties of 16 producers of meat, dairy and confectionery products, drinks and equipment were presented. And the very name of the exposition "Belarus - the taste of nature" spoke about the quality of Belarusian brands.
As priority topics, issues of cooperation in the field of agricultural education were also discussed. Tatyana Bogatova, deputy head of the main department of education, science and personnel of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, spoke about the opportunities of the national market of educational services. Currently, 4 Belarusian agricultural universities at 29 their faculties train highly qualified personnel for the agro-industrial complex in 35 specialties. BSAA, for example, cooperates with the Institute of Soil Science of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Agrarian University on the basis of concluded agreements. Despite the epidemiological situation caused by the COVID-19, Belarusian universities did not stop cooperation with their colleagues and partners, transferring its main part to the online format. Lectures and internships were held, scientific personnel were prepared, students were exchanged in the field of conducting training practices.
During the meeting of the first working group, an Azerbaijan representative joined the meeting from Dubai. This city hosts the International Exhibition, where The Republic of Belarus is also a participant. The video guest did not hide his admiration for the Belarusian exposition, which cannot be passed by indifferently...
Lyudmila GONCHAROVA.