Armands Krauze: Latvia ready to assist in restoration of forests in Karabakh - INTERVIEW

One of the effective mechanisms for developing bilateral cooperation is intergovernmental commissions. Azerbaijan actively uses this format, and today, April 15, a meeting of the IGC with Latvia will be held. At the same time, the commission meeting will take place in the city of Shusha - the pearl of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

The co-chair of the IGC from the Latvian side, Minister of Agriculture of Latvia Armands Krauze, spoke in an interview with Report ahead of the commission meeting about the prospects for bilateral cooperation, the potential of Latvian-Azerbaijani relations in the agricultural sector, as well as key issues on the agenda.

- Mr. Minister, how do you assess the current economic and political relations between our countries?

- Relations between Latvia and Azerbaijan are developing very successfully and are at a high level. However, the current situation related to the war between Russia and Ukraine certainly complicates cooperation and hinders further rapprochement between our countries, especially in the economic sphere, including trade.

Nevertheless, we are focused on seeking new opportunities for developing mutual trade and expanding cooperation. At the same time, in a number of other areas, we maintain a strong interest in strengthening intergovernmental and interparliamentary interaction - this is of fundamental importance to us.

There are promising areas, such as new technologies, science, and educational exchanges, where we can actively develop cooperation. These areas are less susceptible to external restrictions, including the impact of military conflicts, which opens up additional opportunities for deepening our partnership.

- What issues will be discussed at the IGC meeting, and what plans do the parties have for developing economic cooperation in 2026-2027? What steps are planned to increase mutual trade turnover, and through which sectors is this possible?

- As the Minister of Agriculture, I am naturally interested in expanding cooperation in the agricultural sphere. However, I believe that our interaction will go beyond cooperation in this sphere alone.

In Latvia, the forestry sector is also under the management of the Ministry of Agriculture. I am aware that Azerbaijan is implementing plans to restore forests in territories that were previously under occupation [Karabakh and East Zangazur]. I know that this is an extremely important area for your country, and we are ready to develop cooperation to assist in the restoration of natural ecosystems and forest resources in these territories.

In addition, we recently discussed issues of cooperation in the fisheries sector, which in Azerbaijan is now overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture. In Latvia, this industry has historically been under similar jurisdiction. There are promising areas for joint work, particularly aquaculture, which, according to many experts, plays a key role in ensuring food security in the future.

In the broader economic context, there are numerous areas for cooperation - from industry and finance to education and even interaction between defense industry enterprises. Currently, around 500 students from our countries are studying at universities in Azerbaijan and Latvia, and this exchange has significant potential for further development in both directions.

All of this forms a solid foundation for building a long-term and mutually beneficial economic partnership between our countries.

- You touched upon forest restoration in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. What specific experience and practical solutions could Latvia share to facilitate this process?

- As I already mentioned, the forestry sector administratively falls under the sphere of agriculture, and we are interested in exploring the possibility of creating a joint venture for seedling production. This would allow Azerbaijan to restore forests faster and at lower cost. This is truly an important area.

Despite differences in tree species, the technologies for growing seedlings and reforestation are largely universal. It is precisely in this area that we see the greatest potential for effective cooperation.

In the agricultural sphere, we are also eagerly looking forward to your vegetables and fruits [grown in these territories], which are excellent. In Latvia, we have a very short season [harvest season], and the fruits and vegetables are different. You, on the contrary, have a very long season, and your produce is excellent - you are already exporting it abroad.

I believe there is significant potential for increasing supplies of Azerbaijani vegetables and fruits to Latvia. For example, today tomatoes are imported from Spain, which involves much longer logistics - the distance is even greater than between Latvia and Azerbaijan. In this context, the opportunities for cooperation look very promising.

- Azerbaijan and Latvia possess great tourism potential. In this regard, what plans do the sides have to increase cooperation in this area, increase mutual tourist flow, and launch direct flights?

- All these issues are among the key topics in our discussions. For the development of tourism, we need direct flights from Riga to Baku. They existed before, and today [on Tuesday] we raised this issue at all meetings. We decided that a deeper economic assessment is needed because, of course, this is a matter of the profitability of these flights.

There are two aspects to this issue: the development of tourism between our countries, as well as air cargo transportation.

- Do you see potential for cooperation in the field of waste processing with Azerbaijan?

- The answer to this question is certainly positive. I participated in the COP29 climate conference in Baku [in November 2024], where representatives of Latvian private companies were also present. We expect further development of cooperation in this area. For its part, the state is also ready to provide the necessary support.

This is indeed an important area, as waste management remains one of the global problems requiring joint solutions.

- For Azerbaijan, efficient water use is critically important. Do Latvian companies have ready-made technologies that could be implemented here?

- This is not a very typical topic for us, because you need more water in most regions, whereas in Latvia, we have too much water. In agriculture, we don't use irrigation - we use land reclamation to drain excess water.

So in that sense, I think there is potential for cooperation at the laboratory level, in the area of water quality and sustainable agricultural practices for keeping natural waters clean. But as for water supply in agriculture, that's completely different - you need irrigation, and we need drainage. For example, last year in Latvia, there were such heavy rains that farmers couldn't harvest the wheat. In some regions, precipitation reached almost 200 millimeters in one month.

- Traditionally, IGC sessions are held in the run-up to high-level visits. According to our information, a visit by the Latvian president to Azerbaijan is planned in the near future. Have the exact dates of the visit been determined?

- Yes, a high-level visit is scheduled for next week. The President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, is expected to visit Azerbaijan on Wednesday [April 22].