Trade attaché: Azerbaijan-UK cooperation enters strategic phase

Cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom is moving to a strategic stage, Elvin Raziyev, Trade Attaché for Infrastructure and Third-Country Cooperation at the British Embassy in Baku, said in a statement to Report.

According to Rzayev, an agreement had been reached to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic level, with discussions held at the level of state leaders.

"Several major infrastructure projects are currently under discussion. Once a joint decision is made, an official statement will be issued to the public," he noted. "Water infrastructure is among the possible priority areas. Outdated infrastructure is considered one of the main causes of water losses, and modernization projects in this field are being reviewed."

Raziyev also said that the £5 billion financial package allocated by UK Export Finance covers all infrastructure sectors and is not earmarked for any specific field.

According to him, funding will be directed based on identified priorities. "If the water sector is declared a priority, a significant portion - or even the entirety - of the financing could be allocated to this area. The distribution will be determined in line with priorities. At this stage, the funds are considered a general infrastructure package," he added.