20th International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference Incorporating Refining and Petrochemicals kicks off in Baku
President Ilham Aliyev attends opening ceremony of the event VIDEO
Baku, June 4 (AZERTAC). President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva have today attended an opening ceremony of the 20th International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition and Conference Incorporating Refining and Petrochemicals in Baku.
The event was opened by senior advisor of British company ITE Group Plc Andrew Wood.
The Head of State addressed the opening ceremony.
U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar read out a congratulatory letter of President Barack Obama.
Then, the UK Prime Minister`s Trade Envoy Charles Hendry read out a congratulatory letter of PM David Cameron.
President Ilham Aliyev and Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva viewed the pavilions of the exhibition.
It was noted that this year`s anniversary exhibition “Caspian Oil & Gas” coincides with the auspicious occasion - the 90th birthday anniversary of the founder of the exhibition, national leader Heydar Aliyev. The first exhibition was held in September 1994, just before the signing of the "Contract of the Century", which defined the main directions of the large-scale development of hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian basin and laid the foundation for a new era in the history of oil production in the country. Nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev, considering this exhibition as an important platform for the attraction of international oil and gas companies to the development of Azerbaijan`s oil and gas industry, supported the initiative of conducting the first specialized oil and gas industry exhibition in Azerbaijan. Since then the “Caspian Oil & Gas” exhibition has turned into a platform where leading experts of the oil, gas and energy sectors come together and memoranda and agreements on further cooperation signed. The participants of the exhibition and conference include the world`s leading companies representing the oil and energy sectors. Over the years, the exhibition has been attended by 5,600 companies from more than 70 countries.
It was indicated that this year`s anniversary exhibition “Caspian Oil & Gas” brings together 386 companies from 27 countries engaged in the exploration and development of oil and gas deposits and maintenance services. Among them are the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), BP-Azerbaijan, OMV, Total, TPAO, Statoil, Petkim, RWE - just to name a few. The exposition covers three pavilions of the Baku "Expo Center", as well as the open air section. Five countries - Germany, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Kingdom - are represented by national groups. As compared to last year, the exhibition area has increased by 22 per cent, while the total number of exhibitors by 25 per cent. The exhibition has also been joined by companies that were not previously present on the Azerbaijani market - they account for 20 per cent of the total number of participants. This shows a great interest in the exhibition.
It was noted that advanced oil and gas equipment and cutting-edge technology in the area of oil production and transportation of energy were on display. Furthermore, exhibitors demonstrate the currently ongoing in Azerbaijan and future projects.
It is encouraging that the number of local companies participating in this event has increased over the years, while this year they account for 30 per cent of the total number of participants.
Sponsors of the exhibition are 20 companies, including the general sponsor, the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic, and "golden sponsors" BP-Azerbaijan and Statoil. Dozens of leading media outlets from around the world provide information support the exhibition and conference.
It was brought to the attention of the President that the agenda of the conference to be held on the sidelines of the exhibition is quite extensive. The conference will create conditions for the evaluation of new trends in the oil and gas market, the potential benefits of the Caspian Sea, as well as the prospects for resolving the problems of energy security in the world.
Other news in this section
