{"id":66771,"date":"2026-04-23T11:03:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/66771\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T11:03:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:03:11","slug":"baku-riga-bridge-has-potential-to-become-strategic-line-linking-wider-regions-analyst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/66771\/","title":{"rendered":"Baku-Riga ‘bridge’ has potential to become strategic line linking wider regions – analyst"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. The ‘bridge’ being
\nbuilt between Baku and Riga has the potential to become a strategic
\nline connecting wider regions, Azerbaijan’s political analyst told
\nTrend.<\/a><\/p>\n

According to him, the visit of the President of Latvia, Edgars
\nRink\u0117vi\u010ds, to Azerbaijan on April 22 was remembered as an important
\npolitical and economic event that marked the transition of
\nrelations between the two countries to a new stage. The meetings
\nheld between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Latvian
\nPresident, the signed documents, the statements made, and the
\norganized business forum showed that Baku and Riga intend to deepen
\nrelations not only in the diplomatic framework, but also in the
\nfield of practical cooperation.<\/p>\n

“This visit was, in fact, a logical continuation of the
\nrelations that have been formed over many years. The Declaration on
\nStrategic Partnership signed between Azerbaijan and Latvia in 2017
\nhas already created a solid legal basis for these relations. Recent
\nmeetings have once again demonstrated that this document is not
\njust a formal framework, but is filled with real projects and
\nconcrete initiatives,” he said.<\/p>\n

According to him, political relations between Azerbaijan and
\nLatvia have long been stable and built on mutual respect.<\/p>\n

“Both countries cooperate on various international platforms and
\nunderstand each other’s positions on regional security issues. In
\nthis context, the meeting of the heads of state discussed not only
\nbilateral relations but also broader geopolitical issues. Issues
\nsuch as events in Europe and the Middle East, regional security,
\nenergy security, and transport corridors took a special place on
\nthe agenda of the parties. Touching upon these issues, President
\nIlham Aliyev stated: “We largely discussed the political
\ndevelopments in our region, and we’ll continue our discussions with
\nMr. President.” This shows that Azerbaijan is no longer an active
\nactor not only in the regional, but also in the broader
\ngeopolitical arena. Latvia, as a member of the European Union,
\nplays an important bridge role in this dialogue,” the analyst
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

Garayev noted that one of the most striking aspects of the visit
\nwas the emergence of economic cooperation issues. Both sides openly
\nadmitted that the current trade turnover does not correspond to the
\npotential and should be increased.<\/p>\n

“The Latvian President, touching upon this issue, noted that the
\ncurrent economic relations are “very moderate and should be
\nincreased.” This is an open and realistic approach, and at the same
\ntime indicates a serious political will for future cooperation.
\nAzerbaijan, with its successes in economic diversification in
\nrecent years, has created a favorable basis for this cooperation.
\nReducing dependence on the oil and gas sector, developing the
\nnon-oil sector, and improving the investment climate make the
\ncountry more attractive to foreign investors. The below statement
\nby President Ilham Aliyev in his speech clearly reflects this
\ntransformation: “Diversification of the economy is already a
\nreality.” This reality, in turn, opens up new cooperation
\nopportunities for European countries such as Latvia,” Garayev
\nexplained.<\/p>\n

The analyst emphasized that the energy sector remains one of the
\nmain directions of Azerbaijani-Latvian cooperation.<\/p>\n

“Azerbaijan has been playing an important role in Europe’s
\nenergy security for many years. Currently, the country exports gas
\nto 16 countries, including 10 European Union members. However, it
\nis noteworthy that cooperation is not limited to traditional
\nenergy. Azerbaijan is also implementing big plans in the field of
\nrenewable energy. Solar and wind energy projects, green energy
\nexport prospects are of strategic importance for Europe. Latvia can
\nbe a useful partner in this area in terms of both technological
\nexperience and institutional knowledge. Latvia’s experience in
\nforestry and environmental management is especially interesting for
\nrestoration projects implemented in Karabakh and East Zangezur,”
\nGarayev said.<\/p>\n

According to him, the geographical position of Azerbaijan has
\nturned the country into an important transit hub between East and
\nWest, North and South.<\/p>\n

“The Trans-Caspian transport corridor and other international
\nroutes are already actively used. Latvia, on the other hand, plays
\nthe role of a gateway to Northern and Central Europe. In this
\nregard, the logistics capabilities of the two countries complement
\neach other. This cooperation is not limited to cargo transportation
\nalone. Digitalization, logistics technologies, and artificial
\nintelligence applications also open up new directions in this area.
\nIn modern times, transport is no longer just physical
\ninfrastructure, but also a technological ecosystem,” he said.<\/p>\n

The analyst pointed out that one of the areas that attracted
\nattention during the visit was the prospects for cooperation in the
\ndefense industry.<\/p>\n

“Both countries have developing potential in this area.
\nAzerbaijan already exports defense industry products to many
\ncountries. Latvia is rapidly developing in the field of drones and
\ndefense technologies. Cooperation in this area is important not
\nonly in terms of military, but also in terms of technological
\ninnovations. Artificial intelligence, security systems, and new
\ngeneration technologies can further deepen cooperation between the
\ntwo countries,” he said.<\/p>\n

Garayev underscored that the agricultural sector is also one of
\nthe main areas of cooperation.<\/p>\n

“The majority of the Azerbaijani population lives in the
\nregions, and this area is of particular socio-economic importance.
\nLatvia has rich experience in this area, especially in forestry and
\nenvironmental management. It’s possible to apply this experience
\nwithin the framework of the reconstruction work carried out in
\nKarabakh. This cooperation can also cover the areas of education
\nand personnel training. Modern agriculture is now based on
\ntechnology, innovation, and the principles of sustainable
\ndevelopment. In this regard, the “Declaration of Intent on
\nCooperation in the Field of Agriculture between the Ministry of
\nAgriculture of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Agriculture of
\nLatvia” was also signed within the framework of the visit, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

According to him, the visit of the Latvian President to
\nAzerbaijan can be assessed not only as a continuation of the
\nrelations between the two countries, but also as the beginning of a
\nnew stage.<\/p>\n

“There are wide opportunities in the political dialogue,
\neconomic cooperation, energy, logistics, defense industry, and
\nhumanitarian fields. The most important thing is that both sides
\ndemonstrate political will to realize these opportunities. This is
\na key condition for the success of any partnership. In the coming
\nyears, this cooperation is expected to manifest itself more clearly
\nwith concrete projects, increased trade turnover, and strengthened
\nrelations. This bridge, built between Baku and Riga, has the
\npotential to become a strategic line connecting not only the two
\ncountries, but also wider regions,” the analyst concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. The ‘bridge’ being built between Baku and Riga has the potential to become a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[91],"tags":[4439,4428,2574,1275,4436,4437,4441,1414,4440,4429,4433,4430,169,865,1158,168,4435,4438,4434,4431,4432,1161],"class_list":["post-66771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-riga","tag-analytics","tag-azerbaijan39s-news","tag-breaking-news","tag-business-news","tag-caspian-news","tag-central-asia","tag-company-news","tag-economy","tag-financial-news","tag-georgia39s-news","tag-iran39s-news","tag-kazakhstan39s-news","tag-latvia","tag-oil-and-gas-news","tag-politics","tag-riga","tag-the-caspian-sea","tag-the-cis-news","tag-turkey39s-news","tag-turkmenistan39s-news","tag-uzbekistan39s-news","tag-world-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116453690944923054","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}