On November 18, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov met with a delegation led by Anna Bjerde, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia.

It was noted at the meeting that next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of partnership between Azerbaijan and the World Bank, and successful joint projects in various areas have been implemented over the past period.

Prime Minister Asadov noted that Azerbaijan was pleased with the cooperation with the World Bank and stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation.

Anna Bjerde expressed that over the past years, Azerbaijan has changed from a low-income country to a high-income donor country. She also noted the good level of vaccination in Azerbaijan and added that the work in this area is successful. Bjerde mentioned that the observed growth in the Azerbaijani economy in 2021 is a positive indicator.

The meeting focused on the World Bank's new Country Partnership Framework for Azerbaijan, the Bank's participation in the implementation of “Azerbaijan's Socio-Economic Development Strategy for 2022-2026”, and the restoration of the liberated lands. The sides considered issues to expand cooperation between the International Finance Corporation, member of the World Bank Group, and the private sector of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, prospects for partnership between the Bank and our country in agriculture, digital development, renewable energy and many other areas were discussed.

At the end, a new agreement was signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the World Bank Group on the establishment and operation of offices in the Republic. The agreement was signed by the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Samir Sharifov and the World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia – Anna Bjerde