Baku hosts Azerbaijan-Türkiye ICT Business Forum
Baku, February 11, AZERTAC
A forum titled "Azerbaijan-Türkiye Business Forum: Digital Transformation and Technology Bridge" was held in Baku in partnership with the Innovation and Digital Development Agency, the Turkish Informatics Industry Association (TÜBİSAD), and the consulting company "Sistem Global Danışmanlık A.Ş.
The event brought together a total of 70 ICT companies, financial institutions, as well as senior officials of various government agencies from both countries.
Addressing the event, Samir Mammadov, Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport, noted that the forum would significantly contribute to digital cooperation between the two countries.
“Azerbaijan and Türkiye are countries that approach digital development strategically at the state level. Both countries regard digital technology as one of the main pillars of economic growth, efficiency in public administration and a competitive business environment. The forum enables companies and institutions to build results-oriented cooperation and further enhance their existing potential,” the deputy minister added.
Mammadov stated that the Government is expanding partnerships with the private sector to accelerate AI development and promote innovation across the country.
In the official part of the forum was addressed by Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Birol Akgün, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜBİSAD Mehmet Ali Tombalak, Chief Commercial Officer of IRIA Salar Imamaliyev, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of “Sistem Global Danışmanlık A.Ş” Hüseyin Karslıoğlu, who shared their views on the potential of fostering collaboration between Azerbaijan and Türkiye in ICT field.
“Digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and financial technologies have been identified as new priority areas of the Azerbaijani-Turkish economic cooperation. The established partnership model between the two countries is not limited to bilateral relations. It also paves the way for broader economic integration in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region,” said ambassador Birol Akgün.
Noting that the partnership between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, solidified by the personal commitment of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Ilham Aliyev, has reached the highest level of strategic alliance, the diplomat emphasized that the Shusha Declaration, signed in 2021, provides a strong framework for relations not only in political and security terms, but also in economic terms.
According to him, an action plan consisting of 110 provisions was prepared within the framework of the 12th meeting of the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Joint Economic Commission, which is scheduled to be implemented by 2026.
"The document places a special emphasis on cooperation in the fields of digitalization, innovation, AI, financial technologies and high technologies. The two countries aim to increase trade turnover to $15 billion, and to this end, they intend to expand joint activities in technological areas that create high added value, in addition to traditional sectors. The strong cooperation established between the two countries in energy, construction, agriculture, and other areas must now be accompanied by technological transformation," the ambassador added.
In his remarks, Mehmet Ali Tombalak, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜBİSAD underscored that Türkiye and Azerbaijan should create a joint technology ecosystem to enhance competitiveness in the ICT sector.
According to him, Türkiye’s ICT market is currently valued at $33 billion, with TÜBİSAD representing the vast majority of the sector. He further added that the goal is to double this size through collaboration with Azerbaijan.
Tombalak emphasized that Türkiye, together with other Turkic states, could serve a population of 161 million, offering significant strategic potential in the regional technology market. “This is of strategic importance for gaining a competitive edge in the technology sector,” he said.
Tombalak emphasized that by joining forces, Türkiye and Azerbaijan could create a shared technology ecosystem, boosting regional competitiveness. The forum discussions, he further added, could also pave the way for company mergers and a stronger regional technology structure, enabling both countries to better compete on the global stage.
Noting that the number of Technopark residents in Azerbaijan has reached 165, Chief Commercial Officer of IRIA Salar Imamaliyev emphasized that of these, 155 are local resident companies, while 10 are foreign firms. The number of companies operating in the Technopark is dynamically growing, he emphasized.
The IRIA official also invited Turkish companies to become Technopark residents, portraying this as a new opportunity for regional collaboration.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA), the Turkish Informatics Industry Association (TÜBİSAD), and the consulting company "Sistem Global Danışmanlık A.Ş." have signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of innovation.
Later, the event featured panel discussions on the technological and innovative ecosystems of Azerbaijan and Türkiye. During the discussions, experts representing both countries sheared their perspectives on digital transformation, "GovTech" technologies, AI, "smart cities", human capital in ICT and other topics.
The second part of the forum featured B2B and B2G meeting sessions with the participation of Turkish and Azerbaijani companies, as well as government agencies. As part of these sessions, potential areas of cooperation in technological solutions and innovative approaches in the public and private sectors were reviewed, and investment, financing and development prospects for startups and technology companies were discussed.
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