Azerbaijan to be represented by national stand abroad by year-end

Azerbaijan will be represented by a national stand at several international exhibitions until the end of the year, acting chairman of Azerbaijani Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) Yusif Abdullayev said at a press conference on September 6.

These exhibitions will be held in Russia, France and China.

“Until the end of 2018, we plan to present Azerbaijan by a national stand at several other exhibitions, the first of which will be held in Moscow in late September. This is the famous World Food exhibition, and this year Azerbaijan, as in the past, is a partner of this exhibition. In October, our country will be represented at the SIAL exhibition in Paris. This exhibition, which will be held from October 21 to 25, is one of the largest food exhibitions in the world. Then it is planned to participate in two exhibitions in China, which will be held in November. One of them is the exhibition of alcohol production Provine in Shanghai, in which we already participated last year,” Abdullayev said.

He also noted that by the end of 2018, several more export missions are planned to be sent to foreign countries. In addition, according to the head of AZPROMO, it is planned to create a number of shopping, wine and tea houses over the next four months.

“In the remaining months of 2018, we plan to send export missions to Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Germany. Two missions will be sent to Russia: one - to Moscow and the other one - to St. Petersburg. In addition, we plan to send another export mission to China. As for the trade houses, this tool bring benefit gradually, and therefore we want to open trading houses in Aktau and Warsaw by the end of the year. In addition, we intend to open a wine and tea house in Russia,” he said.

He went on to say that Azerbaijan is aimed at increasing trade relations with China.

With this purpose a special Azerbaijani pavilion will be opened in the Chinese city of Luzhou in late September, according to the head of AZPROMO.

“This pavilion is planned to be opened on September 28. It will feature various Azerbaijani products, which, incidentally, are in great demand in the Chinese market. It especially concerns wines and other alcohol products. Visitors to the pavilion will have the opportunity to purchase Azerbaijani products of various types. Some of the goods have already been delivered to China, another part is planned to be delivered in the near future,” he said.

In the course of the last mission to China and participation in exhibitions between the companies of Azerbaijan and China, a significant number of agreements were reached on the supply of Azerbaijani products, and the wine house of Azerbaijan in Urumqi was opened.

The trade turnover with China amounted to almost $1.3 billion last year, which is 33 percent more than in 2016. Exports have increased by 63.75 percent to $443.8 million, and imports by 21.4 percent to $854.5 million over the year, in accordance with the data of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee. Meanwhile, the trade turnover between the two countries totaled $616,402 million in the first half of 2018.

China is a huge opportunity and a priority market for Azerbaijan. In May 2016, Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) opened a representative office in China to support and encourage relations between the two countries’ businessmen, as well as to promote the export of Azerbaijani goods to the Chinese market and attract China’s leading investment funds to the Azerbaijani economy.

In January 2018, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on amending the procedure for determining and regulating the payment mechanism for part of the expenses paid from the state budget for organizing export missions to foreign countries, studying foreign markets and marketing activities, promoting the “Made in Azerbaijan” brand to foreign markets, the receipt by local companies of certificates and patents in foreign countries in connection with exports, research programs and export development projects.

According to the decree, this year the number of export missions that can be organized with the participation of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs in one calendar year has been increased from 10 to 25. Also, the number of international fairs and exhibitions, where a national stand can be presented with the participation of Azerbaijani businessmen was increased from five to ten.

Promotion of the “Made in Azerbaijan” brand on foreign markets became one of the priorities of the country’s foreign economic policy.

The export missions play an important role in expanding non-oil exports and promoting the domestic made products. To date, Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) has organized 13 export missions to 10 foreign countries-Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Hungary, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.

Exhibitions, organized by the state bring excellent results. National entrepreneurs took part in different international exhibitions-Gulfood 2017, Prowein, ANUGA, Worldfood Moscow 2017 and the International Exhibition of Wines and Alcoholic Beverages in Hong Kong to promote the brand.

President Ilham Aliyev signed the decree on large-scale promotion of local non-oil products in foreign markets as “Made in Azerbaijan” on October 5, 2016.

This decree includes nine different support mechanisms to stimulate exports and promote “Made in Azerbaijan” abroad. Depending on the support mechanisms, the costs relating to their realization are fully or partially covered by the state budget.