Baku, September 10, AZERTAC

“Deputy Chairman of the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan Rashad Mafusov has taken part in the traditional Online B2G Forum organized by the Caspian Energy Club. Challenges and issues, facing top managers and representatives of local and foreign companies during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and also their suggestions were discussed at the event,” Chairman and CEO of the Caspian Energy Club, Telman Aliyev told AZERTAC.

“Just like other sectors, the food safety field underwent very thorough institutional and systemic reforms in the frame of socio-economic reforms introduced by the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in recent years”, said Deputy Chairman of the Food Safety Agency Rashad Mafusov while informing the forum participants about the work carried out in 2018-2020.

Rashad Mafusov said: “Right from the first day of its activity, the agency has established close relations with entrepreneurs, including associations engaged in the relevant fields, public associations and civil society organizations. The agency also ensured the public participation in the development of the food safety system.

In the first 6 months of 2020, conducted jointly with a number of business associations and trade chambers were a total 26 events and meetings with over 3,000 entrepreneurs with the aim to inform entrepreneurs about a new system of food products safety, establish cooperation with businessmen on basis of the partnership principle, and also familiarize them with the new rules introduced by the Task Force and the Agency due to the pandemic.

As part of measures to combat the COVID-19 virus, educational meetings were held in wholesale and retail facilities, public catering facilities, as well as other food chain facilities in the 1st half of 2020. Moreover, the recommendations determined by the Task Force under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan were distributed, so were the posters, booklets and brochures prepared by the Agency and concerning methodological guidelines. During the meetings, recommendations were made on enlightening entrepreneurs, organizing activities related to working hours and restrictions applied during the quarantine period. The meetings made it possible to organize services provided to entrepreneurs even more effectively and to take into account all the issues raised by entrepreneurs in the Agency’s activity. Along with local entrepreneurs, the Agency established partnerships with foreign entrepreneurs. So, during 2019-2020, the Agency assessed more than 50 foreign enterprises that want to export animal products to our country, and the necessary measures were taken to export these products to our country.

In addition, the Food Safety Institute of Azerbaijan conducted trainings, organized round tables and scientific conferences, and working groups on the “Codex alimentarius” commission and other associations were introduced with the participation of entrepreneurs, which led to successful results.

At present, the Food Safety Institute of Azerbaijan is planning to create a “Food Products Business Club” on different sectors. Using this opportunity and forum, I would like to invite entrepreneurs to join our business club and enjoy services provided by the agency, as well as to be actively involved in improvement of the Agency’s activity.”

Chairman and CEO of the Caspian Energy Club Telman Aliyev expressed gratitude to the Deputy Chairman of the Food Safety Agency Rashad Mafusov for the open and sincere dialogue. The Online B2G Forum lasted for about 2 hours and made it possible for top-managers of companies to get answers for most of the questions and issues which they were concerned about.

Telman Aliyev requested to support the initiative and further intensify the activity of the permanent working group between the Caspian Energy Club and the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The two-sided working group allows maintaining a proper level of the dialogue between business representatives and the government agencies, as well as promptly responding to questions and suggestions coming from top managers of Caspian Energy Club member companies.

According to Telman Aliyev, the Caspian Energy Club which brings together over 5,000 companies and organizations from 50 countries was established in June 2002. As an active participant of the business-to-government dialogue, the major objective of the Caspian Energy Club is to improve the investment and business climate in Azerbaijan and in other countries where the Caspian Energy Club operates, as well as stimulate and actively participate in the B2G, B2B and B2C dialogues.

Caspian Energy Club is the international business-networking platform and regularly organizes various events. The head office of the Caspian Energy Club is in Baku. The Caspian Energy Club has official representative offices in Georgia and Kazakhstan, and authorized representatives in different countries around the world.