Published on: 2026-04-17
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
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Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk took part in the meeting of the Azerbaijan-Russia Business Council, held in Baku as part of the program of the 24th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Deputy Prime Minister outlined the key priorities for further development of trade-economic, investment, transport-logistics, and humanitarian ties and called on the business circles of Russia and Azerbaijan to make maximum use of the emerging opportunities for cooperation.
In his speech, Aleksey Overchuk paid attention to the dynamics of trade and economic interaction and the importance of trusting the trajectory of its sustainable growth, noting the leading role of business circles in this work. “Everything that happens on this business platform happens because there is mutual interest in trade,” he emphasized, noting that the government’s task is to create a favorable and comfortable environment for business activity.The Deputy Prime Minister also announced that following the meeting of the MPC, the ministries of economy have been instructed to conduct a “revision” of trade relations with the aim of identifying opportunities for new growth.
Continuing the topic of economic interaction, the Deputy Prime Minister focused on the prospects of mutual investments. He noted the presence in Azerbaijan of favorable conditions for doing business, including industrial and special economic zones. “Here, favorable and attractive investment conditions for business development are being created.””And I call on Russian business to look, above all, at those initiatives that the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan has in this sphere, and to more actively use the opportunities that the Azerbaijani government provides,” the deputy prime minister emphasized.
At the same time, Alexey Overchuk noted the potential of Russian platforms for partners from Azerbaijan. “From my side, I cannot but encourage Azerbaijani business to look at the opportunities that exist in Russia, in our special economic zones, where very good cooperation processes can arise and be established,” he said, citing as examples projects being implemented in automobile manufacturing, agriculture and transport engineering, metallurgy, and pharmaceuticals.
According to the vice-premier, as of today a significant package of joint industrial initiatives has been formed, including projects in the automotive industry, agricultural and transport engineering, as well as in the metallurgical complex. He emphasized that cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector, including the production of medicinal products, remains one of the priority areas for the two countries.
At the same time, Alexey Overchuk suggested that business representatives consider expanding cooperation in new sectors. “We need to look more broadly at the opportunities that exist here, including in the development of machine tool building. I personally traveled to see the special zones here: come, as they say, plug in and work. The conditions are created very well,” he noted, pointing out the readiness of the local infrastructure for production placement.
The Deputy Prime Minister highly appreciated the scale of infrastructure projects being implemented in Azerbaijan in the field of transport and logistics. “We see how much the President of Azerbaijan is doing to transform the Republic of Azerbaijan into a transport hub, a Eurasian crossroads where roads are connected from east to west and from north to south,” he said, noting the development of railway, automotive, aviation, and maritime infrastructure. Special attention was paid to the international transport corridor “North – South.”Aleksey Overchuk recalled that the Russian Federation, together with the Islamic Republic of Iran, is implementing a project to construct a missing section of railway between the city of Astara on the Azerbaijan-Iran border and the Iranian city of Rasht.
The Deputy Prime Minister elaborated in detail on the logistical advantages opened up by the new configuration of transport routes, including the active development of transport infrastructure in the Zangilan area and the construction of an international checkpoint in the Agbend area, where a modern bridge has already been erected and border checkpoint construction works are underway.
“For business this means that, having left Moscow, you can be at the border of Russia and Azerbaijan within two days. There we have ensured such cargo processing that there are no queues today. Further, along the magnificent Azerbaijani roads, within a few hours the truck finds itself at the Iranian border, and in a few more hours you can be in Turkey or head towards the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean,” said the vice-premier.
According to Aleksey Overchuk, the development of the “North-South” corridor and associated routes opens fundamentally new export opportunities for Russian and Azerbaijani businesses. He recalled the agreement on free trade between the EAEU and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which allows Russian producers to effectively export the majority of commodity positions duty-free to a market with a population of about 90 million people.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that through Azerbaijan, new opportunities are opening up for Russian companies not only to the Iranian market, but also further towards India and other countries of the Global South. He noted that it is necessary to focus on those markets where Russian goods and services are in demand and where partners are inclined towards long-term cooperation.
Tourism development has become a separate thematic block. The Deputy Prime Minister noted that around 200 thousand citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan visited the Russian Federation last year, and about 500 thousand Russian citizens visited Azerbaijan, emphasizing that these are serious but far from maximal indicators of tourist exchange. He said that the parties are discussing the expansion of the flight network between the two countries to increase the number of Russian regions with direct air services to Azerbaijani cities.The Vice Prime Minister highly appreciated the network of modern international airports created in Azerbaijan and noted that the Russian tourism business should more carefully utilize these opportunities to form new routes and tourism products.
Special attention during the speech was paid to the humanitarian dimension of cooperation. Alexey Overchuk noted that Azerbaijanis treat the Russian language with care, which is widely studied in schools, and that interest in developing partnerships between higher educational institutions of the two countries is also growing, including within the framework of the project to create a joint Russian-Azerbaijani university based on Saint Petersburg State University. The Deputy Prime Minister reported on the proposal from the Russian side to Azerbaijan to consider the possibility of joining the International Organization of the Russian Language.
Alexey Overchuk emphasized that the comprehensive ties between Russia and Azerbaijan rely on the political will and strategic vision of the top leadership of both countries. He said that the difficult period in relations is in the past and today new opportunities are opening up for growth and deepening of partnership, and thanked the Azerbaijani side for constructive dialogue and consistently friendly attitude.
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