KIEV, June 9 – President Viktor Yanukovych said that a joint task for Ukraine and Azerbaijan is to increase bilateral trade, which halved in 2009.

He said this at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Istanbul on Tuesday, the press service of the Ukrainian head of state reported.

"This does not reflect the real potential of our country. Our current task is to resume this trade," Yanukovych said, adding that, in his opinion, "we can at lease double" the current figure of $1 billion.