Azerbaijan to host next meeting of Foreign Ministers of OTS

A proposal has been put forward for the next meeting of the Ministers of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Turkic States Organization (TSO) to be held in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

This proposal was voiced by Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov during the first meeting of the TSO Ministers of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation held in Istanbul, Turkey.

The proposal has been accepted by the participating countries.

During the event attended by the Azerbaijani delegation led by Minister Jabbarov, Turkey's Minister of Industry and Technology, Mehmet Fatih Kac?r, expressed hope that the discussions and bilateral meetings would be fruitful and contribute to strengthening future relations.

TSO Secretary-General Kubanychbek Omuraliev emphasized the importance of cooperation arising from the historical and cultural partnership among member states and expressed confidence that the meeting would play a significant role in enhancing mutual activities.

Minister Jabbarov highlighted that strengthening joint activities among Turkic states ensures the prosperity, economic growth, and sustainable development of their countries. He noted that Azerbaijan highly values cooperation with Turkic states and supports integration processes within the Turkic world. The importance of the current event in Istanbul for evaluating opportunities to enhance initiatives in non-oil industry development, trade and investment promotion, SMEs, modern technology application, science, innovation, and digitalization was also emphasized.

It was noted that the document "Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development" identifies "A Clean Environment and a 'Green Growth' Country" as one of its priority directions, with significant attention given to the application of eco-friendly technologies, waste recycling, the rehabilitation of contaminated areas, and the expansion of environmentally friendly "green" technologies. Additionally, the establishment of new industrial zones in liberated areas, the adoption of favorable incentive packages for entrepreneurs in these regions, and declaring the region a green energy zone are steps aimed at accelerating development.

The Economy Minister also mentioned various global initiatives announced by Azerbaijan, which will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) this November.

During the event, it was emphasized that investments play a crucial role in ensuring economic development and macroeconomic stability for TSO countries. Significant work has been done in recent years in the investment field among TSO countries, including the establishment of the Turkic Investment Fund aimed at stimulating the economic development of member states. Furthermore, investment funds created between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will contribute to the economic development and improvement of living standards in the countries.

The minister also highlighted the importance of establishing Green SME Resource Centers and Research and Development (R&D) activities, providing information about institutional platforms that will facilitate access to technology, knowledge, and financial resources, and reiterated the proposal for the next meeting of the TSO Ministers of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation to be held in Azerbaijan, which has been accepted by the participating countries. The meeting concluded with speeches from representatives of member states and the adoption of a Joint Declaration on the outcomes of the first meeting of the TSO Ministers of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation.