Baku, March 18 (AZERTAC). The Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel Inn, Baku has today hosted the 9th Caspian Energy Integration Award 2013 ceremony with Bakielektrikshebeke OJSC as the General Partner and Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, Fugro Survey LTD (Caspian), Akkord Industry Construction Investment Corporation OJSC, SOCAR-AQS LLC and Bakcell LLC as the partners.

Opening the ceremony, President and CEO of the Caspian-European Integration Business Club (CEIBC) Telman Aliyev on behalf of the CEIBC member companies and numerous readers of the publications of Caspian Energy International Media Group expressed his profound gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Azerbaijan Republic and the Chairman of CEIBC, for his support to the activities of CEIBC and Caspian Energy International Media Group. He also expressed a deep gratitude to the First Lady of Azerbaijan Ms. Mehriban Aliyeva for her valuable recommendations and advice on organization of the first Caspian Energy Integration Award ceremony in 2005.

“Caspian Energy Integration Award international prize is awarded in Baku, Moscow and Ankara according to the results of Internet polling conducted by the Caspian-European Integration Business Club (CEIBC) in 50 countries worldwide. This prize is awarded to politicians, government officials, companies and organizations for achievements during a year in the Caspian, Black Sea and Baltic regions,” CEIBC President Telman Aliyev said.

The Caspian Energy Integration Award ceremony is organized with the support of the Caspian-European Integration Business Club and Caspian Energy International Media Group.

CEIBC was established in June 2002 in association with Caspian Energy International Media Group and under intensive support largest oil & gas companies operating in the Caspian-Black Sea region. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev has been the CEIBC Chairman since its very establishing up to now,” Telman Aliyev said.

He also noted that nowadays the CEIBC brings together more than 500 companies and organizations from 50 countries. Within Caspian Energy International Media Group working under the support of CEIBC there are 6 international journals, News Agency, Marketing Researches Company, over 30 internet projects, the Weekly Online Newspaper and the Oil & Gas Online Encyclopaedia.

“Thanks to the support of the CEIBC Chairman, President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the Caspian-European Integration Business Club has become one of the largest authoritative international organizations working in the Caspian, Black Sea and Baltic regions,” Telman Aliyev stressed in his speech.

According to Telman Aliyev, CEIBC`s honorary members - presidents and prime ministers, ambassadors, ministers, heads of state committees and agencies of the EU and CIS countries, who have supported the initiative of the President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev, - are actively involved in contributing to improvement of the business environment in the Caspian, Black Sea and Baltic regions.

In conclusion, Telman Aliyev thanked the partners of the ceremony, in particular, the General Partner - Chairman of the Board of Bakielektrikshebeke OJSC Mr. Baba Rzayev and also partners - the Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Mr. Arif Asgarov, General Manager of Fugro Survey LTD (Caspian) Mr. Chris Moot, Chairman of the Board, General Director of Akkord Industry Construction Investment Corporation Mr. Khagani Guluzade, General Director of SOCAR-AQS LLC Mr. Ramin Isayev and Chief Executive Director of Bakcell LLC Mr. Richard Shearer. He also thanked all heads of the government institutions, companies and organisations for their long-year support to CEIBC`s activity and fruitful cooperation, congratulated all the winning nominees and wished them future successes in their business activity.

Speaking at the ceremony, Natig Aliyev, Azerbaijani Minister of Industry and Energy, noted that Caspian Energy Integration Award international prize reflected the successful domestic and foreign policy of Azerbaijan.

“Grandiose reforms were implemented in the economy of Azerbaijan last year, which in turn promoted further improvement of the business environment across the country. The role of the Caspian-European Integration Business Club in outreaching these objectives is great,” Minister Aliyev said.

“I dare say that CEIBC has become one of the industry-leading social entities, bringing together a lot of companies, businesspeople, politicians and government officials”, Natig Aliyev said.

According to him, “informing the society, including businessmen, about the work now performed within the frame of the well-thought-out programmes of the President of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev is also a great and honourable mission.”

Natig Aliyev emphasized that “our society has acquired the best practices and achieved big successes. The famous companies are getting more and more known to our society, the information on their activity and successes is being provided and awarding such prizes makes in itself a big sense”. In turn, Minister Aliyev said that “the companies that received awards take pride in their activity being properly appreciated”.

Minister Aliyev congratulated all the nominees and expressed gratitude to the organizers of the Caspian Energy Integration Award prize ceremony for the high level of the event organisation.

Speaking at the Caspian Energy Integration Award ceremony Iltimas Mammadov, the Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Technologies (MCIT) of Azerbaijan, said that the 2012 year was successful for Azerbaijan in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT). According to him, CEIBC has been organizing the Caspian Energy Integration Award ceremony for the 9th consecutive year. “If in the first years the oil sector was dominating at the ceremony, while the recent years have also seen companies distinguished and awarded in the sector of communication and information technologies, and the workers of the ICT sector are actively involved in Club`s activity,” Iltimas Mammadov said.

He reminded that the 2013 year was declared a Year of ICT in Azerbaijan by President Ilham Aliyev. “Prepared for this purpose was the wide plan of measures for ICT projects realization, covering not only the activity of the Ministry, but also the private sector. In the next few days this plan will be approved and implemented. Thus, big and important ICT projects will be realized this year”, the Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Technologies said.

He emphasized that “at the beginning of the year we have placed into orbit the first national telecommunication satellite”. According to him, “some of these days it will start commercial activity and cover the most part of Europe, Asia and even Africa”.

“Starting from April 2013 the MCIT and SOCAR will start implementation of the project on bringing the optical broadband Internet to each house. It will allow increasing in short terms the speed of provided Internet to end users in Baku to 100 Mbps, in rayon centres to 30 Mbps, in the remote villages to over 10 Mbps. It will allow accelerating the implementation of a number of ICT projects, including the e-government project,” Iltimas Mammadov emphasized.

“All this makes us sure to expect that more ICT companies will be awarded prizes in a subsequent Caspian Energy Integration Award ceremony,” Iltimas Mammadov said, and congratulated the award nominees.

Shirin Shirinov, Deputy Director of the Department for Industry and Energy of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan, noted that “today`s ceremony aims at promotion of Azerbaijani companies internationally”. Having congratulated all nominees of the "Caspian Energy Integration Award - 2012" prize he expressed hope that all winners would maintain a higher rank defined by this prize and CEIBC.

During the ceremony, Richard Morningstar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Azerbaijan, spoke about the role of the Club in development of relations between the Caspian region companies and the USA.

Receiving the “Caspian Energy Integration Award – 2013” prize he noted: “It is a great honour for me to receive this award from the Caspian-European Integration Business Club tonight. I always dreamt of getting an Oscar, and this is a next step to it. I have spent many years working on Caspian Energy issues. I remember very fondly working with All-National Leader Heydar Aliyev on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project. Now, as an Ambassador to Azerbaijan, I can see it what the development of the energy sector and that pipeline have done for the Azerbaijani people. And now as an Ambassador, I continue to work and the United States continues to work and support the Southern Gas corridor projects which will deliver gas from the Caspian region to Turkey and Europe. So I look forward to continue to progress on that project and again thank you very much for this award.”

Speaking about impression that the “Caspian Energy Integration Award – 2013” prize presentation ceremony made on him, Ambassador Richard Morningstar said: “I think tonight`s event was very terrific. I think it recognizes what all of the various businesses in Azerbaijan do, and I was very honoured to get that award because I have obviously been very interested in the energy area, and it was a privilege and honour to be here tonight.”

Addressing the ceremony Radek Matula, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Azerbaijan said: “I find myself extremely honoured to be receiving such an important and precious award. Of course, this award could not have been achieved without help of many of my Czech colleagues, without support, friendly and professional approach and work of my Azeri partners and my friend, President of CEIBC Mr. Telman Aliyev. I would like to thank all of you.”

Speaking about CEIBC, the Ambassador noted that he was pleased with the opportunity of working with the Club. Both I, as an Ambassador, and the embassy have a good experience of cooperation with the Club. It is exemplified in the Azerbaijan-Czech business forum which we held in October 2010. We maintain tight contact with the Club on other events as well. We meet within the framework of meetings that EU Ambassadors hold with CEIBC member-companies. I find it very important to have contacts with such clubs because it makes easier for businessmen, coming to work in Azerbaijan, to orient in the business environment,” Radek Matula added.

According to the Ambassador, CEIBC helps the Czech businessmen, wishing to enter the Azerbaijani market, to find partners here. “It would be difficult to work for us without such organizations as CEIBC. Therefore, we are ready to keep tight contact and cooperation with the Club,” the diplomat concluded.