Appeal of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the 5th General Assembly
To the 5th General Assembly of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Dear General Assembly participants!
I extend my sincere greetings to you at the 5th Congress of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan and wish you success in your further endeavors.
The Azerbaijan Entrepreneurs Confederation, which combines thousands of entrepreneurship entities, including about 70 economic, social-oriented associations and unions, is one of the key public organizations supporting the interests of entrepreneurs in the country and supporting entrepreneurship development. It has a peculiar position in the economic development of our country.
At this stage, one of our main goals is to ensure the sustainability of dynamic socio-economic development of our country in the long-term perspective, by raising the competitiveness of the national economy and effectively integrating into the global economic system. In this direction, important steps are taken in the Republic for the improvement of post-oil economy and improvement of business environment.
Successful implementation of reforms and government programs covering various areas and large-scale infrastructure projects have made our country a reputable and reliable partner. The reforms carried out have also been highly appreciated by the world’s leading economic centers. In October 2018, according to the World Bank report, Doing Business 2019, Azerbaijan was included in the list of 10 most reformist countries in the world and became the world’s most reforming country. In the new report, Azerbaijan ranked 25th among 190 countries, moving up to 32 points in 2017 and became a leader among the Commonwealth of Independent States. Such a high achievement is a result of the reforms we have made in recent years.
Minimizing the dependence of the economy on oil and forming a competitive national economy, further improving the business and investment climate have been identified as one of our strategic goals in the coming years. At present, achievements in non-oil industry and agriculture create additional incentives for entrepreneurs to expand their business activities. I believe that the strategic road map on major sectors of the national economy will play an important role in the development of several fields in our country, including entrepreneurship.
I hope that the General Assembly will contribute to the effective organization of future activities of your organization and the strengthening of state support to entrepreneurs with the decisions of time and national development priorities.
Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku, December 19, 2018