Azerbaijan, Baku, August 28 / Trend V. Zhavoronkova /
The world economic crisis has affected foreign trade operations between Baku and Astana, which declined in the first six months of 2009, Kazakh Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Serik Primbetov, said at a press-conference on August 28.
"Seeing as turnover between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan was $490.3 million in 2008, we are not satisfied with figures for the first six months of 2009," the ambassador said.
Export-import operations reached $257.079 million for January-June 2008. But this figure was only $63.338 million for the same period of 2009.
The ambassador said that grain supplies from Kazakhstan declined because grain volumes produced in Azerbaijan had increased.
"I hope that we will announce success by the end of the second half. This will be discussed at a meeting of the inter-governmental commission for economic cooperation," Primbetov said.
The export of Kazakh grain by rail to Azerbaijan and Georgia was 27,000 and 3,000 tons respectively in May-June.
Managing Director for Commercial Issues for the national company JSC "Food Contract Corporation", Daulet Uvashev, said that at present, Kazakhstan is ready to transport 10,000 tons of high-quality grain from the North Kazakhstan, Akmola and Kostanai regions, but we cannot do it because as we are waiting for a decision from the Azerbaijani side on the price of Kazakh grain.
He said that two routes are used to export grain: by railway, transiting the Kazakh-Russian border at Samur and by the sea via port of Aktau. He said that Kazakhstan exports 600,000 to 700,000 tons of grain to Azerbaijan annually.
Moreover, the construction of a mill complex in Baku's grain terminal is being completed. The ambassador said that it will be put into operation in 2009. 15,000 tons of Kazakh grain and first and second rate flour will be processed and produced in this complex in 2009.
The mill complex will process up to 300,000 tons of grain per year.
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