Azerbaijani-Czech cooperation revives in 2022 – deputy FM

Azerbaijani-Czech relations have revived after a previous slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and cooperation has developed in many directions, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Jaroslav Kurfürst has said.

"Trade and economic cooperation is among the top priorities of our bilateral relations. The trade statistics of 2022, which was significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, have shown gradual recovery and impressive year-on-year growth. According to the Czech Statistical Office's data, the trade turnover from January through November 2022 has increased by 116 per cent, which is really promising," Trend cites the deputy minister as saying.

According to him, a gradual return of Czech companies to the Azerbaijani market has been observed from the second half of 2022, with the revival of these business activities supported by the resumption of the direct Prague-Baku air route.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has also been talking about activities promoting economic and trade cooperation with relevant Azerbaijani institutions, Kurfürst noted.

"Several projects are in the initial stage of discussion. We believe that the upcoming 5th Session of the Joint Commission on Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation and accompanying business forum in Prague in early March will provide further momentum," he concluded.