The co-chairs of the Turkish-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce and Industry Forum met in a video conference

On June 18, the Turkish-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce and Industry Forum (TAC) co-chairs from the ASK and TOBB – Vice-President of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, President of “Cahan Holding” Vugar Abbasov and TOBB Board Member,  Chairman of the Board of “Terra İla. And Chemistry San. Tic. A.Ş. ” Mr. Ozturk Oran, as well as with the participation of the leaders of both institutions a video conference was held in preparation for the first full meeting of the TAC Board.

Welcoming the participants, Mr. Ozturk Oran stressed that the global trade turnover, as well as import-export operations have decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he expressed confidence that the current situation is a chance for the Turkish world for the post-pandemic period and that the TAC will play an important role at this stage.

O.Oran noted that Azerbaijan is a leader in terms of investment in Turkey, and that the TANAP and TAP projects have changed the balance in the European energy market. He said that TOBB has established dual chambers with the relevant agencies of a number of countries, but in terms of economic potential, he is confident that this chamber, established by the ASK, will be stronger.

O.Oran stressed that the first full meeting of the TAC was scheduled for April this year, but was postponed due to a pandemic. In addition, Mr. Ozturk Oran suggested that the first meeting of the TAC Board be held via video conference.

Welcoming the participants, Mr. Vugar Abbasov supported the idea of ​​holding an online video conference to assess the current situation, plan future steps, as well as to address the situation with trade relations between the two countries.

At the same time, V.Abbasov noted the importance of the visit of the President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Azerbaijan to attend the 8th meeting of the Azerbaijan-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council on February 25 to increase trade turnover between the two countries. He stressed that specific tasks have been set. He noted that the agreement reached during the visit on the Kars-Igdir-Aralik-Dilucu-Sadarak-Nakhchivan-Julfa railway project will be an important contribution to the development of economic relations between the two countries.

Later, Mr. Cemal Yangin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Azerbaijani-Turkey Businessmen Association and Head of “Istanbul Bazaar Import & Export LTD”, who is currently in Ankara, will speak on the possibility of conducting joint trade operations in third countries through TAC, as well as finding partners. He noted that TAC understands its responsibility to increase trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Turkey. C.Yangin also stressed the importance of developing a road map to determine the future strategy.

In turn, ASK Deputy Secretary General Mr. Fuad Humbatov greeted the participants and noted the great potential of the Turkish-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce and Industry Forum. He stressed the importance of organizing joint business missions within the TAC to the CIS countries, as well as the Gulf countries, with which the ASK has broader ties, as repeatedly noted by the ASK President Mr. Mammad Musayev.

At the same time, F.Humbatov said that it would be more expedient to prepare a program of the meeting and a road map for future action plans before the full meeting of the TAC Board. This proposal was supported by TAC co-chairs Mr. Vugar Abbasov and Mr. Ozturk Oran. TOBB representative Basak Onur said that in accordance with the proposal of F. Humbatov, TOBB will prepare a draft road map and submit it to the ASK for comments and suggestions soon.

Mr. Adem Kula, Secretary General of the Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in his turn, said that TAC had created ample opportunities for further development of the ASK’s structural capacity and stressed that TOBB was ready for any cooperation in terms of technical support. He agreed with F.

Humbatov’s proposal and noted that TAC has ample opportunities to organize joint missions to third countries, as well as to hold B2B meetings for businessmen operating in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

At the same time, A.Kula noted the importance of the “Preferential Trade Agreement” signed between Azerbaijan and Turkey and stressed the importance of promoting among entrepreneurs of both countries the existence of very important provisions on the reduction of both quotas and duties on 15 commodity groups.