Azerbaijan-UK council to boost business partnership
The first constituent meeting of the Azerbaijan-UK
Business Council has been held at the House of Lords in London.
The Council will be jointly chaired by British and Azerbaijani representatives. Lord Howell and Jahangir Hajiyev, chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), were elected the first co-chairs.
The Council aims to strengthen business cooperation between the UK and Azerbaijan and deepen trade and investment ties between the two countries. It will work in close partnership with the IBA and the UK-based Middle East Association, which is one of the oldest and most influential business associations in the United Kingdom and brings together 400 companies, representing all sectors of industry, trade and finance.
Recent high-level visits serve as a basis for the further strengthening of relations between the two countries. Over the past three months, the Duke of York, Lord Mayor of London and the Energy Minister, Lord Hunt, visited Baku and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the UK.
The meeting, dedicated to the opening of the Council, was attended by members of the House of Lords - Lord Waverley, and former Trade Minister Baroness Symons, Michael Thomas, Director General of the Middle East Association, Fakhraddin Gurbanov, Azerbaijani Ambassador to UK, senior representatives of the Lord Mayor, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the London Stock Exchange and the London Business School, as well as companies and organizations that have current or potential business interests in Azerbaijan.
Jahangir Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani co-chair, stressed the importance of establishing a council aimed at further diversifying British-Azerbaijani economic and trade relations and providing comprehensive information about Azerbaijan.
``Creating a business council is the next stage in the development of economic relations between Azerbaijan and Great Britain,`` Michael Thomas said after the meeting.
Thomas added that major British companies have chosen to participate in the activities of the Business Council, which enjoys the full support of both governments.
``A full-scale program is planned to inform the British business community about the economic potential of Azerbaijan. The Middle East Association is already scheduled visit to Baku on November 22-26 for the commercial promotion of various sectors of the economy,`` Thomas said.
From the British side, the Council has already acquired about 20 companies and organizations representing various sectors of the economy, including Invesco, one of the largest investment funds, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Integro Insurance, the London Stock Exchange, Royal Bank of Scotland and London Business School.
The Council will be jointly chaired by British and Azerbaijani representatives. Lord Howell and Jahangir Hajiyev, chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), were elected the first co-chairs.
The Council aims to strengthen business cooperation between the UK and Azerbaijan and deepen trade and investment ties between the two countries. It will work in close partnership with the IBA and the UK-based Middle East Association, which is one of the oldest and most influential business associations in the United Kingdom and brings together 400 companies, representing all sectors of industry, trade and finance.
Recent high-level visits serve as a basis for the further strengthening of relations between the two countries. Over the past three months, the Duke of York, Lord Mayor of London and the Energy Minister, Lord Hunt, visited Baku and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the UK.
The meeting, dedicated to the opening of the Council, was attended by members of the House of Lords - Lord Waverley, and former Trade Minister Baroness Symons, Michael Thomas, Director General of the Middle East Association, Fakhraddin Gurbanov, Azerbaijani Ambassador to UK, senior representatives of the Lord Mayor, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the London Stock Exchange and the London Business School, as well as companies and organizations that have current or potential business interests in Azerbaijan.
Jahangir Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani co-chair, stressed the importance of establishing a council aimed at further diversifying British-Azerbaijani economic and trade relations and providing comprehensive information about Azerbaijan.
``Creating a business council is the next stage in the development of economic relations between Azerbaijan and Great Britain,`` Michael Thomas said after the meeting.
Thomas added that major British companies have chosen to participate in the activities of the Business Council, which enjoys the full support of both governments.
``A full-scale program is planned to inform the British business community about the economic potential of Azerbaijan. The Middle East Association is already scheduled visit to Baku on November 22-26 for the commercial promotion of various sectors of the economy,`` Thomas said.
From the British side, the Council has already acquired about 20 companies and organizations representing various sectors of the economy, including Invesco, one of the largest investment funds, DLA Piper, Eversheds, Integro Insurance, the London Stock Exchange, Royal Bank of Scotland and London Business School.
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