April 10
Shopping festival kicks off in Baku
The Baku Shopping Festival has kicked off in Azerbaijan’s capital for the first time.
The festival, which will last until May 10, is being held in accordance with the decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “On additional measures to develop tourism in Azerbaijan” dated Sept.1, 2016.
The purpose of holding trade festivals is to increase the economic and tourist potential of Azerbaijan, stimulate the country’s trade turnover by encouraging entrepreneurship.
These festivals also provide for encouragement of the tax system, improvement of tax administration through the application of the VAT refund system for the goods not intended for production or commercial purposes and which were purchased by individuals during the trade festivals in Azerbaijan, the development of a system for servicing taxpayers.
Ilham Aliyev chairs Cabinet meeting on results of first quarter of 2017, future tasks
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev chaired a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of the first quarter of 2017 and future tasks.
April 11
Poland attaches particular importance to co-op with Azerbaijan
Poland attaches particular importance to cooperation with Azerbaijan, said Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski, as he met his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.
Touching upon the transport projects launched with Azerbaijan’s initiative and participation, particularly East-West and North-South corridors, Mammadyarov noted that Poland may also get benefited from the opportunities provided by these routes.
The ministers expressed satisfaction with the current state of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Poland and exchanged views on the expansion of cooperation in various fields.
16 more state properties privatized in Azerbaijan
Sixteen state properties have been privatized at auctions of Azerbaijan’s State Committee on Property Issues, the committee said in a message.
Eleven properties, including three small enterprises, seven non-residential areas and one vehicle, were privatized at the Baku auction.
Also, three small enterprises and two non-residential areas were privatized at auctions held during the day in Azerbaijani regions.
April 12
Azerbaijan’s Agriculture Ministry starts talks with foreign donors
Azerbaijan’s Agriculture Ministry is starting negotiations with foreign donors to carry out the work envisaged in this sphere’s “road map”, the country’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Seyfaddin Talibov said.
He made the remarks on the sidelines of the 4th meeting of the Agriculture Ministry and donor organizations.
Talibov said that the meeting’s main goal is to discuss with donor organizations that for which projects, envisaged in the road map, they can provide funds or other aid.
Export of Azerbaijani non-oil products up
The export of Azerbaijani non-oil products increased by 32.5 percent in January-March 2017 compared to January-March 2016, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Economy Sahil Babayev said.
He made remarks at the 4th International Caspian Energy Forum-2017 being held in Baku.
Babayev added that the export of industrial goods from Azerbaijan increased by 25 percent during the reporting period.
He added that the investment promotion documents were submitted to the Azerbaijani ministry of economy for the implementation of 121 projects worth more than 1.2 billion manat over the last year as part of the investment promotion mechanism in the country.
April 13
US keeps eye on Southern Gas Corridor’s implementation
The US is focusing on the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project and its support by Washington remains stable and long-lasting, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta said.
Cekuta made remarks at a meeting with Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev in Baku, the Azerbaijani energy ministry said.
According to the ministry, during the meeting Cekuta and Aliyev discussed the Offshore Technology Conference to be held in Houston, US in early May, cooperation in the energy sector, energy security issues and the situation in the world energy market.
April 14
Azerbaijan to buy Boeing-737 MAX aircraft for $1B
Azerbaijan’s Silk Way Airlines and the US aerospace company Boeing have signed a contract for the purchase of ten passenger aircraft Boeing-737 MAX.
The document was signed in Baku by President of Silk Way Holding Zaur Akhundov and Senior Vice President of Boeing company Marty Bentrott.
The ceremony of the document’s signing was attended by the President of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL) Jahangir Askerov and US Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta.
Total cost of the contract is about $1 billion.
The first two aircraft of the newest generation will be delivered to Azerbaijan by the end of 2018, and the rest – until the end of 2020.