Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan-Czech business forum held in Baku on Wednesday. The forum was organized by the Czech embassy to Azerbaijan, Caspian-European Integration Business Club (CEIBC) and Chamber of Trade and Industry for CIS Countries.

Participating in the forum were representatives of business circles of Azerbaijan, countries across the Caspian-Black Sea region, as well as representatives of the Czech companies involved in the entrepreneurial mission to Azerbaijan. Discussions of issues on business cooperation and negotiations between entrepreneurs were held during the forum.

While rendering a speech at the forum, Czech Ambassador Radek Matula saif this event will contribute to the expansion and strengthening of cooperation between the Czech Republic and Azerbaijan at all levels – be it in the field of economic development and investment processes.

"The Czech Republic finds Azerbaijan to be an important, perspective and reliable partner and hopes for substantial growth of its export to Azerbaijan," the ambassador said.

According to him, the interest of the Czech companies toward operation in Azerbaijan is high enough and will keep growing in future.

Matula expressed an assurance for the Czech companies to gradually gain a worthy position in Azerbaijan – in Baku and regions.

"The Czech companies and businessmen have a lot to propose to Azerbaijani partners. Apart from traditional fields and products, there are transport vehicles, construction and machine building equipment for modernization of Azerbaijani manufacturing factories, glass, beer, etc. I also see opportunities of cooperation in the field of supply of technologies (meant for processing of agricultural products and food industry) and turnkey of plants (meat-packing plants, tinned food factories, beer plants, etc)," Matula said. "Importance should also be attached to such spheres as ecology and environmental protection – water industry, water purification, waste treatment, renewable energy, etc. The Czech companies have good experience and technologies on the mentioned fields."

The Ambassador assumes that there are also good opportunities for making investments by Azerbaijani businessmen in the Czech Republic. "They can be offered several priority sectors in which the Czech Republic is interested to develop an entrepreneurial activity. The matter concerns automobile industry, machine building, nanotechnologies, chemistry and pharmaceutical industry, renewable and alternative energy sources, bio-technologies, aviation and space industry, electro technology and electronics, etc", the Ambassador noted.

According to him, the business forum coincided with the period when both of the countries attempt to overcome the consequences of the international crisis. Positive changes occurred in bilateral economic relations over the past 3 years cause joy. The highest rate of goods turnover between Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic was registered in 2008 - 1.12 bln EUR. The goods turnover declined substantially (down to 548 mln EUR) in 2009. But the figure grew again within 8 months of 2010 compared to the figures from the same period of 2009, it grew by 127% and totaled 641 mln EUR.