Prague, Sept 14 (CTK) – President Milos Zeman will leave yesterday for a visit to Azerbaijan, the second biggest oil exporter to the Czech Republic, to meet Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and attend a business seminar, with economic issues being the main aim of the journey, spokesman Jiri Ovcacek has told CTK.
Zeman will be accompanied by his wife Ivana Zemanova.
On Tuesday, Zeman will officially start the visit by meeting the Czech ambassador to Baku.
His meeting with Aliyev and talks of both countries’ delegations are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, followed by a gala dinner.
Zeman will discuss the establishment of a strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, which will upgrade the level of the existing relations, Ovcacek said.
On Wednesday, Zeman and Aliyev will open a business seminar, a routine part of Zeman’s visits.
This time, a bigger stress will be laid on economic affairs, Ovcacek said.
A number of agreements and contracts will be signed.
Ovcacek has declined to say whether they will relate to oil contracts, too.
At present, Czech firms export machines, glassware, cars and sanitary aids to Azerbaijan.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Azerbaijan can offer business opportunities, for instance, in connection with the construction of roads and motorways as well as the metro in Baku where 70 new stations are to be built by 2040.
Czech diplomats see other opportunities in the defence and chemical industries and supplies of building machines.
“There has been construction boom in Azerbaijan in the past few years that will continue for several following years,” the ministry said.
In 2014, Czech exports to Azerbaijan amounted to 2.4 billion crowns, which was one billion less than in 2013. On the contrary, imports were 39 billion worth thanks to the oil import in 2014 and a year before, Czech firms spent 26.9 billion crowns in Azerbaijan.
Zeman has long supported economic diplomacy. However, he has been often criticised for doing so at the expense of human rights promotion.
The authoritarian regime in Baku has been repeatedly blamed for human rights violations.
At the beginning of September, opposition journalist Khadija Ismail, who was revealing corruption in the government circles, was convicted of tax evasion, illegal business and embezzlement in Baku and sent to prison for 7.5 years.
In mid-August, an Azeri court sentenced leading dissidents Leyla and Arif Yunus to 8.5 and seven years in prison for frauds, tax evasion and unauthorised business activities. Amnesty International called them the prisoners of conscience and criticised the verdict as shameful.
Zeman will take part in a commemorative ceremony at the grave of former president Heydar Aliyev and give a speech to university students in Baku. He will also meet students of the Czech language.
Zeman will leave Azerbaijan on Thursday.
($1 = 24.021 crowns)
