According to Russia Briefing's article published on October 18, 2022, in common with several regions of Russia, the Russian Chuvash Republic, a semi-autonomous state in the European South-East of Russia, is holding bilateral trade talks with Azerbaijan.
Chuvashia is the is the homeland of the Chuvash people, a Turkic ethnic group. Its capital is the city of Cheboksary, while the region has a population of about 1.7 million. As can be seen in the map, it is located north-east of the Caspian Sea, which gives access to Baku, Azerbaijan’s major port from Russia’s Astrakhan Port. Chuvash is connected to Astrakhan by road and rail, while additional highway connections between Russia and Azerbaijan are also under construction.
Russia’s Trade Representative in Azerbaijan, and the Russian Export Center’s representative office in Azerbaijan met with a visiting business delegation from Chuvashia, who are arranging for Chuvash products to be displayed at the BakuBuild International Construction Exhibition in Baku’s Expo Center. The Chuvash delegation will also be meeting a large number of Azerbaijani companies and holding B2B meetings at the exhibition.
Chuvash companies offer high quality products for the construction industry – the region produces waterproofing materials, paint and varnish products, nano-deflectors designed for ventilation of residential and non-residential premises, as well as elevators for warehouses and entrance doors.
Russia’s Trade Representative said that Chuvash companies have good opportunities and prospects for developing the supply of their products to the Azerbaijani construction industry market, including the participation in tenders. Both Russia and Azerbaijan are members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Russia-Azerbaijan bilateral trade reached US$3 billion in 2021, while data this year also points to increases of about 25% YoY driven by Russia’s need to develop new import and export markets.
Traditional Russian exports to Azerbaijan include wheat, sawn wood and broadcasting equipment, while Azerbaijan exports to Russia are mainly agricultural, including tomatoes, other fruits, and pitted fruits. Azeri-owned supermarkets are a common feature throughout Western Russia. The two countries also have a significant services component in their trade profile, including in the transportation and travel sectors.
