MINSK, 7 April (BelTA) – MAZ will supply 100 vehicle kits of the MAZ 6312C5 model to the Ganja Auto Plant for the needs of Azerbaijan’s Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry. The contract was signed by Director General of MAZ, the managing company of the BelavtoMAZ holding company Valery Ivankovich and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ganja Auto Plant Khanlar Fatiev on 7 April, BelTA has learned.
“First of all, it is forward-looking technological cooperation. We supply vehicle kits to the Ganja Auto Plant, where utility equipment is assembled. This helps address priority social needs of the people of Azerbaijan. The momentum generated by our head of state’s visit to Azerbaijan was logically reflected in last year’s contracts, when fire trucks were delivered and received high praise, and in the current contract. Most importantly, this is a partnership-based cooperation. It is not the sale of finished vehicles, but the supply of vehicle kits, the development of competencies in Azerbaijan, and an investment in future work,” Valery Ivankovich said.
According to him, despite strong competition, Belarusian equipment has earned a solid reputation on the Azerbaijani market, with consistently positive feedback. Today, MAZ operates in this market in the truck and utility equipment segments, supplying vehicle kits. When asked whether buses might also be assembled at the Ganja Auto Plant from Belarusian kits in the future, the MAZ director general described the idea as promising: “Such an idea exists. It is being worked on; we have not abandoned it. We are moving forward steadily and step by step, and we will return to this topic, especially since buses are a socially important product. As for electric buses, that is also an interesting area, but it is a highly specific technological innovation that requires gradual steps. Azerbaijan is moving in this direction, and I believe this could become another point for developing cooperation in the future.”
He also spoke about the plans of Minsk Automobile Plant: “Today our task is to continue expanding the range of passenger vehicles. In the truck segment, we are working both on our own projects and with partners. I hope we will release a new truck in the near future,” Valery Ivankovich announced.
The Ganja Auto Plant is interested in furthering cooperation with Belarus. “Our cooperation with Belarusian colleagues began after the visit of the president of Azerbaijan to Belarus in 2006. Over the years of industrial partnership, more than 15,000 tractors and about 4,000 MAZ vehicles have been assembled. Utility veicles built on MAZ chassis at the Ganja Auto Plant received high praise. Today we have signed a new contract in Minsk,” Khanlar Fatiev said.
Belarus’ Industry Minister Andrei Kuznetsov emphasized that the production of utility vehicles for Azerbaijan is another step toward expanding mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. “Azerbaijan is our traditional market, one of our key partners in industrial cooperation. We are focusing on machinery by MAZ, MTZ, and Mogilevliftmash. A joint elevator production facility has been established in Azerbaijan, and it is operating successfully. We are also working on creating a joint venture for the production of household appliances in Azerbaijan,” he noted.
According to the MAZ press service, the dynamic development of Belarus-Azerbaijan partnership has been made possible thanks to the consistent efforts of the heads of state and systematic support from both governments. Today, cooperation is based on a solid foundation of practical projects supported by an extensive legal framework, creating stable conditions for expanding industrial cooperation. One of the most notable examples of bilateral cooperation is the partnership between Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) and its Azerbaijani counterparts. Official visits and working meetings are held regularly, during which the parties discuss equipment supplies, the development of joint production facilities, and the expansion of product lines to meet Azerbaijan’s needs. These consistent steps strengthen cooperation, expand MAZ’s presence in the Azerbaijani market, and create new opportunities for industrial interaction between the two countries.
Since 2007, MAZ has been actively developing cooperation with the Ganja Auto Plant, where assembly of MAZ trucks has been organized, including the localization of certain components. A trilateral agreement is currently in force between MAZ, Pozhsnab, and the Ganja Auto Plant to implement a cooperative project in Azerbaijan for the production of fire-fighting and utility equipment. This format of cooperation makes it possible to combine competencies, strengthen technological potential, and produce equipment in demand in the real sector of the economy.
At present, MAZ, the managing company of the BelavtoMAZ holding company is participating in a program (to be implemented through 2030) to manufacture emergency-rescue, fire-fighting, and utility equipment at the Ganja Auto Plant for the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan. Under this project, 95 units were supplied between 2024 and 2025.
Photos by Vitaly Pivovarchik/ BelTA
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