Czech president arrives in Baku

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Czech Republic’s President Milos Zeman embarked on an official visit to Azerbaijan on September 15.

A guard of honor was arranged for the Czech president at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport decorated with the national flags of the two countries, AzerTac state news agency reported.

President Zeman and his spouse Ivana Zemanova were welcomed by Azerbaijan’s first Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov and other officials.

Prior to the visit, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Czech Republic Farid Shafiyev said Prague will present new economic cooperation proposals to Azerbaijan.

During the visit the Czech president will be accompanied by a delegation of some 60 representatives of business circles, which testifies to the country’s interest in developing the cooperation with Azerbaijan, according to the media reports.

Czech companies are present in Azerbaijan and implement contracts worth about $1 billion, and implementation of the contract for the construction of Baku-Guba highway worth $300 million has been already completed.

Currently, the Czech Republic mainly imports Azerbaijani oil, while industrial equipment and consumer goods are exported to Azerbaijan.

In January-July 2015, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $440.93 million, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.

The Czech Republic recognized the independence of Azerbaijan on January 8, 1992. Two countries established diplomatic relations on January 29, 1993.