BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 31. Turbo-charging
bilateral commerce and funding and creating the most effective atmosphere
for worldwide enterprise is one in all my strategic priorities in
cooperation with Azerbaijan, Fergus Auld, UK Ambassador to
Azerbaijan, informed Trend in an unique interview.
Assessing cooperation priorities
The annual UK-Azerbaijan Joint Intergovernmental Commission on
commerce and financial dialogue is one hundred pc centered on supporting
Azerbaijan’s financial diversification.
In 2022, the next precedence areas have been recognized:
healthcare, ICT, and agriculture.
The UK will deal with cooperation in life sciences, scientific
analysis, genomics, drugs improvement, and medical schooling and
coaching inside the discipline of major healthcare. We are additionally
exploring methods of delivering double-degree diplomas and
partnerships with UK universities and nursing colleges.
As for ICT sector, the UK is wanting into cooperation in
e-commerce, cyber safety, good cities, and good villages, as
nicely as to construct on a fintech challenge between TheCityUK and the
Central Bank of Azerbaijan delivered final yr.
In agriculture, we intention to help the continued modernization of
the sector, together with agritech and the appliance of bio and
nanotechnologies.
Development of infrastructure, inventive industries, and digital
development is one other space the place there are potential cooperation
alternatives that we have to discover broadly. Over the previous yr,
we have seen plenty of new profitable collaborations together with a
state-of-the-art British designed hoverbarge being inbuilt Baku,
UK grasp planners supporting the reconstruction course of in
Karabakh, and UK specialists advising Azerbaijan to higher enhance
waste administration in hospitals.
Supporting bilateral commerce and mutual
investments
It is sweet to see that commerce turnover between the UK and
Azerbaijan has elevated within the first half of 2022 in comparison with the
first half of 2021. The principal export commodities from the UK to
Azerbaijan have been capital and intermediate items, similar to energy
mills and industrial equipment, automobiles and jewelry. The principal
import commodities from Azerbaijan to the UK have been crude oil and
intermediate items, similar to mechanical energy mills and
specialised equipment.
The UK has established financial and customs working teams to
create alternatives to debate how Azerbaijan can enhance its
enterprise atmosphere. When UK corporations’ suggestions is listened to
and acted upon, it helps drive investor confidence. Regular public
and personal session and clear communication with companies
are vital to enhance the funding local weather.
The UK has been the biggest overseas investor in Azerbaijan for
the final three many years, with over 400 UK corporations on the bottom.
UK corporations contribute to Azerbaijan’s economic system by means of job
creation, investments in studying and improvement of native expertise,
schooling and neighborhood improvement. A major variety of
Azerbaijani professionals maintain aggressive positions in UK
corporations and the abilities of the highly-trained workforce are
utilized to service worldwide shoppers, which demonstrates the
high quality of studying and improvement and the competitiveness gained
by Azerbaijani professionals.
Continuing progress made in authorized and judicial reforms by means of
their efficient implementation can also be important for attracting
overseas direct funding. We see that enhancing state-owned
enterprises (SOEs) effectivity and efficiency is a key authorities
precedence. The institution of Azerbaijan Investment Holding (AIH)
offers a possibility to speed up reforms. Reform of SOEs can
help non-public sector-led progress, allow the non-public sector to
successfully compete in sectors dominated by SOEs, and open up new
funding alternatives in Azerbaijan.
The UK will work carefully with the Government of Azerbaijan, the
British Chamber of Commerce and British corporations to create
alternatives to enhance commerce with Azerbaijan, in addition to higher
enterprise atmosphere.
Bright prospects for power
cooperation
Azerbaijan is already making a major contribution to
Europe’s power safety by means of its provide of pure fuel by way of the
Southern Gas Corridor. Exporting inexperienced power will additional
strengthen Azerbaijan’s function in Europe’s power market and provide an
alternative for the nation to enter the European electrical energy
market.
The UK welcomes all of the actions taken by Azerbaijan on this
path, together with the settlement signed with Georgia, Hungary and
Romania to construct an underwater cable underneath the Black Sea. In this
regard, the UK’s function as a internet maritime safety supplier within the
Black Sea ought to assist present an enabling atmosphere for this.
The UK is actively sharing the expertise to assist Azerbaijan
develop a thriving clear power sector, which can help
Azerbaijan’s plans to export inexperienced power to Europe by means of the
government-to-government power transition working group and MoU on
clear power transition.
For instance, final month an power transition convention was
hosted, with presence of main UK corporations with sturdy clear
power capabilities to alternate views with Azerbaijani facet on the
improvement of the nation’s clear power sector.
We have additionally organized a collection of experience-sharing webinars
for the Ministry of Energy and different power companions on offshore
wind, hydrogen, contracts for distinction, integrating renewables
into grids and power innovation zones. Ofgem, the UK’s power
market regulator, has shared greatest observe with Azerbaijan’s Energy
Regulatory Agency on community regulation, power reforms, unbundling
and inexperienced tariffs.
Azerbaijan has huge potential for renewable power, with 27
GW of wind and solar energy onshore and 157 GW of wind energy within the
Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. As a rustic with the second
after China largest put in capacities of offshore wind within the
world and the biggest pipeline of tasks in Europe, the UK stands
able to share our expertise of growing the trade to assist
Azerbaijan faucet that vast potential. The UK has already helped with
funding fund Azerbaijan’s offshore wind roadmap, which was launched
collectively by the World Bank and IFC final yr.
We additionally organized a go to for Energy Minister Shabazov to the
world’s largest grid-connected floating offshore wind farm in
Kinradine, within the North Sea. I’m happy to see bp increasing into
renewable power in Azerbaijan and stay up for the finalization
of the settlement on a 240 MW solar energy plant in Jabrayil.
The UK is dedicated to reaching internet zero emissions domestically
by 2050. As a part of this effort, we now have enhanced our capabilities
throughout a variety of renewable power applied sciences, I hope that
the Government of Azerbaijan will make the most effective use of the
decarbonization masterplan which bp helped develop for help of
the inexperienced progress reform agenda.
Support for demining actions within the liberated
territories
The UK for a few years has been supporting IDP communities throughout
Azerbaijan. Now, we wish to be a part of serving to IDPs lastly to
return residence. Demining is important to allow this. The UK
authorities was happy to be one of many first worldwide
companions for the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA)
of their tireless demining efforts and proceed to take action.
Currently, by means of UNDP, UK Government is financing the
implementation of three completely different tasks with ANAMA.
The major goal of one in all these interventions is to help
ANAMA’s Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) division to
put together for and help the nationwide plan for “The Great Return”.
Given the large scale of the demining problem, which goes to
take over a decade, we’re additionally serving to to help ANAMA and different
elements of state constructions to work successfully and effectively
collectively. And we wish to see Azerbaijan’s distinctive expertise form a
productive function as a world champion on landmine
motion.
In regards to supporting the ANAMA on its demining efforts, UK
Government additionally has a brand new challenge with UNICEF.
The cooperation goals to offer evidence-based, excessive impression and
life-saving emergency help for conflict-affected households,
kids and development staff. The Action will deal with EORE
aiming to cut back fatalities and accidents brought on by Explosive
Remnants of War.
