Jan. 9
Azerbaijan, Switzerland mull prospects of transport corridors
Azerbaijan and Switzerland have discussed transportation of Swiss cargos via the North-South and South-West corridors.
The issue was discussed during the bilateral meeting in Zurich between Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov and President of InterRail Holding AG Hans Reinhard.
Jan. 10
Ilham Aliyev chairs meeting of Cabinet of Ministers
A meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers was held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
The meeting was dedicated to the social and economic development in 2016 and further tasks.
The head of state addressed the meeting.
30 state properties privatized in Azerbaijan
In an auction held by Azerbaijan’s State Committee on Property Issues, 30 state properties were sold as part of a new privatization program, the committee said in a message.
Six lots put up for privatization are small state enterprises and properties, 14 are non-residential areas, nine are vehicles and one is equipment.
Azerbaijan’s state budget will receive 1.1 million manats as a result of the privatization of these facilities.
Out of 30 state properties, 14 are located in Baku, while the rest are in Azerbaijan’s other cities and regions.
Ilham Aliyev receives delegation led by French secretary of state
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Jean-Marie Le Guen, French secretary of state for development and Francophonie attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France.
Jan. 11
Ilham Aliyev attends groundbreaking ceremony of Ordubad HPP
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended a groundbreaking ceremony of Ordubad Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP).
The president was informed that the capacity of the plant will be 36 MW.
EU delegation to Azerbaijan launches new grant call
The EU Delegation to Azerbaijan has launched a new grant call for proposals to support community based initiatives that generate market-driven income and employment in rural areas of Azerbaijan, the EU Neighbourhood Info Center said in a message. The deadline for concept notes is February 21, 2017, the message said.
According to the message, the global objective of "Support to Community Based Initiatives for Market Driven Income and Employment Generation in Rural Areas in Azerbaijan” initiative is to foster economic regeneration and job creation in rural areas of the non-Absheron regions.
The application for this call for proposals is open to small holder farm producers, agricultural value chain actors, agricultural based rural groups and associations, small and medium scale rural business enterprises (agriculture or non-agricultural such as tourism), municipalities and small producers of handicraft, the message said.
According to the message, specific attention will be paid to people wanting to start their own business, women, the unemployed, people with special needs, and internally-displaced persons (IDPs).
Ilham Aliyev launches drinking water supply system in Shahbuz
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a ceremony to launch drinking water supply and sewage systems in Shahbuz district and surrounding villages as part of his visit to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
The head of state was informed about the work done under the project of "Reconstruction of drinking water supply and sewage systems in Shahbuz district center and surrounding villages".
A water purification device will provide the population and industrial area with ecologically clean drinking water 24 hours a day until 2045.
Jan. 12
Banks in Azerbaijan to issue loans in non-cash form
Banks in Azerbaijan will start this year issuing loans in non-cash form, Director General of the Department of Tax Policy and Strategic Research of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Taxes Samira Musayeva said.
“At the same time, no limit will be applied when cashing out the loans issued by the banks in Azerbaijan,” she said.
“Customers of banks in Azerbaijan will be able to cash out absolutely any amount of money,” said Musayeva. “However, if they are entrepreneurs, they will have 1 percent fee deducted when cashing out their funds.”
Individuals (natural persons), who are not taxpayers, will not be charged anything, Musayeva said.
UK fund to give grants to Azerbaijani IDPs for business projects
The UK Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) will allocate grants to about 70 IDP families for the implementation of business projects, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The funds will be allocated under the project for the support of the socio-economic development of Azerbaijan's population affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The project will be carried out jointly with the IOM, in cooperation with the Azerbaijani government.
Business plans were prepared after trainings for IDPs from Azerbaijan’s Aghdam, Barda, Fuzuli, Tartar, Gazakh and Goranboy districts.
Jan. 13
Qatar offers Azerbaijan to organize forum of Islamic countries
Qatar has offered Azerbaijan to organize a forum of Islamic countries on the eve of the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games to be held in Baku on May 12-22, 2017, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy said in a message.
Qatari Ambassador to Azerbaijan Yusif bin Hasan al-Saai made the statement at the meeting with Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Shahin Mustafayev in Baku.
Yusif bin Hasan al-Saai and Mustafayev also discussed the establishment of a joint investment fund, the holding of a meeting of the Azerbaijani-Qatari intergovernmental commission on economic, trade and technical issues in the near future, as well as sending the export mission of Azerbaijani businessmen to Qatar on February 11-14, 2017, the ministry said.