U.S. trade mission explores partnership opportunities in Azerbaijani market
By Nigar Orujova
A three-day Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Trade Mission from the United States to Azerbaijan have been successfully completed, USACC reports.
Trade Mission, organized within the 19th Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition Bakutel 2013, started on December 2 and finished on December 4.
About 13 leading American companies participated in the mission, which focused on Azerbaijan's rapidly growing ICT industry.
The mission also explored high potential partnership opportunities in the market. American tech-service and technology providers exploring the opportunities included large and medium scale companies such as Lockheed Martin, Hughes, Oracle, Globecomm, Exelis, Futron Corporation, Hughes, Space Systems Loral, iControl, Wisethink Information Solutions, Tmob, SW Creatives and Elizarov Consulting Group.
The trade mission provided a comprehensive program, which offered the U.S. participants a high market exposure and access to key decision makers in both private and public sectors of Azerbaijan.
The mission participated at Bakutel2013, where Trade Mission participants exhibited their services under the U.S. pavilion. The largest ICT exhibition in the region this year gathered 27 countries, including U.S., which made first time debut appearance in Azerbaijan.
USACC booth was visited by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and representatives of international industry institutions including the United Nations (UN), International Communications Union (ITU), Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications and the association of trade show organizers - the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI).
Azerbaijan - U.S. ICT Business Forum was another activity of the trade mission in Baku, with the participation of 30 presenters, including keynote speakers Azerbaijan ICT Minister Ali Abbasov, USACC Co-Chairman Reza Vaziri, and U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar.
Forum participants presented their companies to an audience of local tech-based companies and institutions. Azerbaijan's telecommunications satellite prospects, the upcoming launch of two more satellites, trade and investment opportunities in ICT field, and other opportunities in Azerbaijan-U.S. ICT partnership were among the panel discussion.
The mission program also involved numerous matchmaking meetings with government and industry officials.