MP: Country looking for export markets

Development of the non-oil sector is a priority area in Azerbaijan, and the support provided to small and mediumsized enterprises increases the employment of the population, contributing to the opening of new jobs, said MP Musa Guliyev.

Guliyev, talking to Trend on March 30, said that it is necessary to accelerate the development of the non-oil sector even more.

“The non-oil sector development contributes to speeding up resolution of social issues, improving the financial situation of the population,” he said, adding that the main jobs are also created in the non-oil sectors, therefore the nonprimary sectors of the economy should become a priority for ensuring employment of the population.

Guliyev further stressed that the government of Azerbaijan provides sufficient support for the development of entrepreneurship. He recalled that under the National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support (NFES) business people are given preferential loans.

"Thanks to NFES loans, new enterprises are being created, new jobs are being opened,” he said stressing that the state support to the non-oil industry ensured 5-percent growth of the sector, and more than 3-percent growth of agricultural sector for the first two months of this year.

The MP also underlined that the most important task today is the expansion of exports of non-oil products.

"Azerbaijan conducts trade with many countries of the world, and increasing the export volume of nonoil products to these countries is very important, both for the progressive development of this sphere and for increasing the currency inflow into the country,” he added.

To achieve these goals the government created all the conditions for entrepreneurs, Guliyev concluded.

The Azerbaijani government has developed a very substantial reform package aimed at diversifying the economy, which received strong support from international financial institutions. The country invested largely in industry and agriculture and is also looking for the markets for export of its non-oil products.

The country is organizing export missions to foreign countries to explore the markets and marketing activities in order to promote mechanisms required for increasing awareness about the local production.

In 2016, the National Entrepreneurship Support Fund allocated 190 million manats ($111 million) for financing of projects of local business entities.