OREANDA-NEWS. November 13, 2009. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has suggested to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev that the two countries should aim for joint projects of a larger scale. The Belarusian head of state made the relevant statement during a broader participation meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart on 12 November.

“So far in the present complicated conditions of the global financial and economic crisis, the strategic goal is reaching larger scale joint projects both in Azerbaijan and Belarus, making non-conventional decisions sometimes. The foundation for it has been laid down already,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

The Belarusian head of state underlined that in 2006 they reached an agreement with Ilham Aliyev on starting up the joint production of Belarusian machines in Azerbaijan. At present Belarusian tractors and MAZ vehicles are assembled at premises of the Gandzha-based automobile plant.

Alexander Lukashenko believes that it is necessary to move on – it is necessary to implement the idea of the joint production of automobile cranes, lift equipment, mounted agricultural implements in Azerbaijan. “We have accumulated extensive experience of modernizing the industry and are ready to share it with our Azerbaijani friends. We have agreed with the Azerbaijan President that we will make the transition from plain cooperation forms to joint manufacturing enterprises in Azerbaijan and Belarus,” he said.

According to the Belarusian head of state, Belarusian-Azerbaijani relations do not rely on passing competition principles. They are based on mutual interests of the two nations. “This is why we need to enhance institutional and coordinating mechanisms of the bilateral contacts,” stressed Alexander Lukashenko.