Baku, Sept 15 (CTK) – The Czech and Azerbaijani presidents, Milos Zeman and Ilham Aliyev, respectively, signed a strategic partnership declaration yesterday and Zeman called for Azerbaijan, the second largest exporter of oil to the Czech Republic, to make investments in the country.
Zeman said Czech businesspeople, for their part, could invest in Azeri railways and supply engines and carriages, and that there is also a potential in cooperation in agriculture.
Zeman met Aliyev three times before, but always within some special events, such as the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014.
In addition to the strategic partnership declaration, Zeman and Aliyev also signed a memorandum of cooperation in agriculture, focused on the development of economic, scientific and technological cooperation in farming.
Zeman is accompanied by several dozens of businesspeople whose agenda includes meetings with their business partners. On Wednesday, Zeman will take part in a Czech-Azeri business forum.
Zeman is a supporter of economic diplomacy, but he is often criticised for that he does so at the cost of pushing through human rights.
Azerbaijan is one of the countries criticised for restricting human rights. 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.
Zeman left for Baku on Monday and he is to return home on Thursday.
