On June 19, Azerbaijan held separate meetings with officials from South Korea, Russia, and North Macedonia to discuss prospects for expanding cooperation in taxation, trade, and economic development.
During the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku, Orkhan Nazarli, Head of the State Tax Service of Azerbaijan, met with Kang Min-soo, Commissioner of the National Tax Service of the Republic of Korea. Both sides stressed the importance of exchanging experiences in digital tax technologies, improving tax services, and enhancing taxpayer relations. Nazarli informed his counterpart about reforms in Azerbaijan’s tax system, initiatives under the 2025–2028 strategy, and efforts to promote digitalization and voluntary tax compliance. Min-soo shared details about South Korea’s tax management models, the integration of digital systems, and its international cooperation practices. The meeting concluded with an agreement to continue bilateral engagement in this sector.
Meanwhile, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Alexei Sazanov, Deputy Finance Minister of Russia, announced that Azerbaijan had expressed interest in revising its existing double taxation avoidance agreement with Russia. Sazanov noted that while the Russian Finance Ministry did not plan to amend any tax treaties in the immediate future, such proposals would be considered if mutually beneficial terms could be reached. "We have this kind of interest from Azerbaijan. We will communicate with colleagues and, if we find mutually beneficial, acceptable conditions, we will move forward," Sazanov stated.
In a separate development, Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, held a meeting with Afrim Gashi, President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia. Both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening economic ties, noting that trade turnover between the two countries had grown by over 27 percent in the first four months of the year compared to the same period in 2023. Jabbarov highlighted Azerbaijan’s favorable business climate and extended an invitation to North Macedonian companies to increase investment and cooperation. Discussions also covered potential collaboration in the energy sector, the Middle Corridor, small and medium-sized enterprises, pharmaceuticals, and other priority industries.