Baku hosts first International E-Trade Forum

The E-Trade Forum kicked off today in Baku at the initiative of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

The international event entitled "Baku E-Trade Forum 2018" will last two days.

Over 300 local and foreign representatives from international organizations, government agencies, public organizations, micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, investors and startups took part in the forum. At the same time, field specialists from over 20 countries, representatives of 10 international organizations, more than 60 e-trade and online payment platforms attended the forum.

Within the framework of the event, over 30 speeches, covering various topics in the field of electronic trade, are planned to be made.

Within the framework of the forum, various sessions will be organized on 7 key areas identified by the UN Conference on Trade and Development for the development of e-trade.

Today, at the opening ceremony of the event, electronic trade in Azerbaijan, electronic payment and logistics services, customs and tax duties, development of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship in this area, the expansion of startup projects in the field of electronic trade, as well as effective cooperation of state bodies, international development agencies and business structures on the development of various aspects of this field were discussed.

E-trade development strategy in Azerbaijan and in the countries of the region, as well as proposals on the EU requirements strategy were put forward.

It should be noted that currently the share of e-commerce in the European Union is 35 percent. In the world, e-commerce accounts for 10 percent. Based on the "Business-to-Business" model this year, e-commerce worldwide totaled 3 trillion. In our country, the development of e-commerce varies between 10 and 15 percent.

It was noted that in recent years the volume of e-commerce in Azerbaijan has been increasing year by year due to diversification of the economy, development of non-oil sector, modernization of telecommunication infrastructure, as well as expansion of electronic services in the banking sector. It was also noted that today Azerbaijan has turned into a Transit Postal Center (HUB) in the field of e-commerce due to the improvement of transport and telecommunication infrastructure.

The importance of placing the electronic signature chips in the new generation identity cards issued towards the development of electronic commerce was also emphasized.

The representatives of the European Union, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Trade Centre, the International Telecommunication Union, the Universal Postal Union and other international organizations and well-known international experts in the field of e-commerce will make presentations at today’s and tomorrow’s sessions.

Local and foreign e-commerce stores have demonstrated their solutions and products at the exhibition organized within the framework of the event.

Many domestic companies involved in the sales of electronic products participating in the event have announced the launch of a campaign for their customers during the forum.

In general, the forum serves as an international platform for re-considering relevant recommendations on the development of e-commerce in the region and identifying opportunities for practical application.