MUSIAD President Mahmut Asmalı stated that besides the diplomatic relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which have been going on for more than 30 years, mainly economic and commercial relations stand in a very important place, "Our trade volume, which is increasing day by day, will reach much better levels in the future." said.

MUSIAD President Mahmut Asmalı, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (KOBİA) President Orhan Memmedov, Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Support Administration (KOSGEB) President Hasan Basri attended the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Business World Summit of 100 Years, held at MUSIAD Headquarters building. Kurt, Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Clubs Association President Nigar Alasgarova, MUSIAD Azerbaijan President Reşad Cabirli, Azerbaijan-Türkiye Businessmen Association (ATİB) President Cemal Yang, Turkey and Azerbaijan Businessmen and Industrialists Social Union (TÜİB) President Hüseyin Büyükfırat and Azerbaijan Export and Investments Promotion Fund (AZPROMO) President Yusif Abdullayev, Trade Representative of the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Istanbul Tamerlan Tagiyev and Turkish and Azerbaijani business people attended.

Speaking at the opening of the summit, MUSIAD President Mahmut Asmalı said that Türkiye and Azerbaijan have been continuing their friendship and brotherhood with each passing day with a tighter bond, with the slogan of "one nation, two states" for more than 30 years.

Reminding that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries that rushed to help Türkiye after the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes on February 6, Asmalı stated that the supplies were delivered to the earthquake zone thanks to the Brother Aid Platform they established together.

In his speech at the panel titled "Türkiye-Azerbaijan Relations and Future Perspectives" held within the scope of the summit, MUSIAD President Asmalı said that Türkiye's relations with Azerbaijan are always multidimensional and strategic, and the most important factor that positively affects the relations of the two countries is the relationship between the leaders.

Pointing out that the friendship established between the leaders of the two countries since the 90s gained momentum especially after 2010, Asmalı stated that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum energy lines were put into practice thanks to the developing relations between the two countries.

Stating that, in addition to military relations, between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, common foreign policy steps were taken thanks to the developing bilateral relations, Asmalı said, "In order to further strengthen bilateral relations, the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (YDSK) mechanism was established at the level of Presidents in 2010. The history of the 33-year Karabakh occupation and The Shusha Declaration, signed on June 15, 2021, on the occasion of our President's visit to Azerbaijan, less than a year after it ended with a glorious victory, is an extremely important document in terms of raising our bilateral relations to the level of alliance." he said.

"Relations will progress in line with a 'common vision of the future'"

President of MUSIAD Asmalı, as much as the Shusha Declaration is in the field of security and military; He said that it is a road map that determines the main lines of the future of relations in the fields of economy, energy and transportation.

Stating that one of the most important reasons why the diplomatic relations between the two countries are so close is that there are many common interests, Asmalı said:

"For Azerbaijan, Türkiye has been the safest way to deliver its energy resources to the western markets. In addition, Türkiye's being an effective power in the South Caucasus is highly compatible with Azerbaijan's regional interests. Along with the independent foreign policy pursued by both countries, energy and The development of transportation lines, the more active participation of the Organization of Turkish States, the establishment of positive relations with the states of the region and the realization of regional projects are also the results of the intense cooperation in the relations between the two countries.As you know, the deep-rooted diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye, exceeding 30 years, are multifaceted. and there are many strategic stages.

Reminding that Azerbaijan was the first country President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited right after the elections, after the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Asmalı ties much more ties with the understanding of "one nation, two states", with this important visit emphasizing the diplomatic and economic relations of the two countries. He said he was getting stronger.

Asmalı said, "After all, this visit shows that Azerbaijan will take the first place in Turkey's foreign policy in the future, as it was before. " used the phrases.

"We still have a long way to go"

Mahmut Asmalı, diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan for more than 30 yearsHe said that besides the store, mainly economic and commercial relations stand in a very important place, and that the trade volume, which is increasing day by day, will reach much better levels in the future.

Asmalı stated that exports to Azerbaijan increased by 6.9% compared to the previous year and reached 2.5 billion dollars in 2022, and continued as follows:

"In the same period, our imports from Azerbaijan increased by 20.7 percent on an annual basis and reached approximately 836.4 million dollars. When we look at these figures, we see that the bilateral trade volume was around 3.3 billion. In the January-May period of 2023; Turkey's exports to Azerbaijan increased by 10.5 percent compared to the same period of the previous year and reached approximately 1.1 billion dollars. In this period, Türkiye's imports from Azerbaijan increased by 19.5 to 535.5 million dollars. Is that enough? "We have a target of 15 billion dollars, we have reached a trade volume of 3.3 billion dollars. We still have a long way to go, I hope that this trade volume will reach much higher levels with such meetings, conferences, collaborations and visits."

"We see the summit as very important in terms of developing commercial relations"

KOBIA President Orhan Mammadov also stated that the economic relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan are wide and versatile, and that the trade volume continues with an increasing momentum.

Emphasizing that they consider the Türkiye-Azerbaijan Business World 100 Years Summit to be very important in terms of developing commercial relations, Mammadov said that they are working to increase the trade volume and to involve especially young and women in bilateral trade.

Reminding that they signed a cooperation protocol with Informatics Valley at the ceremony held in Baku recently, Mammadov stated that as KOBIA, they cooperated with Informatics Valley to support both startups and young business people.

KOSGEB President Hasan Basri Kurt stated that Türkiye has reached export figures exceeding 250 billion dollars, of which approximately 100 billion dollars is made by SMEs.

Noting that over 100 thousand individual SMEs export in Türkiye, Kurt said, "40-45 thousand of them are SMEs in the manufacturing sector. We also want to transfer our experience in this field to Azerbaijan. Another dimension of the new period for the relations between the two countries. will also invest in technology entrepreneurship." used the phrases.

In addition, a panel titled "Azerbaijan and Türkiye Commercial Cooperation and Investment Opportunities" was held within the scope of the summit. The summit continued with bilateral business meetings (B2B) between Turkish and Azerbaijani business people.