ECONOMY
European Azerbaijan Society organizes business forum in London
London, November 7 (AZERTAC). London has hosted a business forum organized by the European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), and supported by the Azerbaijan Embassy in the UK and Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO).
The event brought together state and government officials from a number of countries, representatives of the diplomatic corps, and public figures.
In her opening remarks, business coordinator of TEAS Vanessa Raine highlighted the aim of the forum. Raine said Azerbaijan’s infrastructure meets modern standards, and hailed the country`s economic development, improvement of people`s living standards, and cooperation between state and private sectors.
Azerbaijani Ambassador Fakhraddin Gurbanov highlighted Azerbaijan`s achievements in the fields of agriculture, construction, transportation, communications and tourism. He said investment in Azerbaijan`s economy increased, while inflation was reduced.
Gurbanov spoke of the TANAP project, which aims to transport natural gas from the Shahdaniz field to European markets.
The Ambassador drew the participants` attention to future plans of Azerbaijan, highlighting “Azerbaijan 2020: Vision into the Future” Development Concept.
Head of International Economic Cooperation Department at Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Economy and Industry, Orkhan Mammadov said expansion of cooperation with the European Union is one of the key priorities in Azerbaijan`s foreign policy.
He noted economic development of Azerbaijan created favourable investment opportunities for a number of countries, including EU member states.
Chairman of TEAS Tale Heydarov said the goal of the forum is to increase awareness of business opportunities in both countries, build contacts among companies, and exchange views on business projects.
British Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Charles Hendry hailed development of the UK-Azerbaijan relations, particularly in the fields of trade and education.
Azerbaijani MP Javanshir Feyziyev said development of entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan is one of the key priorities of the country`s socio-economic development strategy.
Head of AZPROMO Rufat Mammadov highlighted the activities of the organization. He spoke of socio-economic reforms carried out in Azerbaijan, as well as efforts to ensure favourable investment climate in the country.
Deputy Executive Director of Azerbaijan Investment Company Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan is very important country for British investors.
Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza hailed Azerbaijan`s development.