BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 16
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
Israeli companies are interested in working in Azerbaijan’s agricultural sphere, Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan Dan Stav said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“We have growing trade in agriculture and I think, the potential is much higher than what we actually do. I see many and many Israeli companies that want to be involved here. You have a great potential in agriculture. You have fertile land, high-quality water and hardworking people. We can also work together to upgrade the professionalism of agronomists,” he said.
Talking about overall status of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Israel, Dan Stav said trade is something that requires a lot of improvement.
“It stays more or less the same, according to our data, it stands at around $160 million annually in both directions, mostly from Israel. I think Azerbaijan has a lot of good products that can be marketed in Israel. Azerbaijan can try to sell them to Israel via a trading house. It is a matter of promotion. The world is a small, global village. If you are not there, somebody else will provide their goods. If you have something better of cheaper, or more interesting, they will buy it from you. But you have to be there, since despite the internet, it is very hard to give up the physical presence. It is very important to do it, in order to uplift the trade between the two countries,” said the Israeli envoy.
As for investments, he said, Azerbaijani investments in Israel are very minimal, expressing hope that this situation will change.
“Azerbaijan is considered as terra incognita to many Israeli businesses. They would like to look for promising investments in Azerbaijan. Political stability here, reforms in customs and tax ministry, all make Azerbaijan much more attractive,” said Dan Stav.
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