The first E-Trade Forum, held in Baku at the initiative of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies and with the support of the European Union and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, has concluded its work.
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 forum, various sessions were organized on 7 key areas identified by the UN Conference on Trade and Development for the development of e-trade.
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 made presentations at the sessions.
Local and foreign e-commerce stores have demonstrated their solutions and products at the exhibition organized within the framework of the event.
Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade, as well as the forum participants toured the exhibition.
Speaking at the forum, Ramin Guluzade expressed gratitude to the European Union and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for their support for the organization of the event.
The Minister noted that the diversification of the economy, the development of entrepreneurship and the non-oil sector are the priority areas of the economic policy implemented in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and are in the focus of attention of the country's leadership.
The Minister said that over recent years, serious steps have been taken in Azerbaijan to develop electronic commerce, and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies plays an important role in the formation of a digital ecosystem that ensures the functioning of e-commerce.
"At present time, Azerbaijan is becoming an international logistics center. A great deal of attention is paid to the creation of a modern postal transport infrastructure for the development of electronic commerce. The Azerbaijani post began to function as an international transit postal service center. In accordance with the project, e-commerce products ordered from China are imported to Azerbaijan via Silk Way, Azerpost sorts these goods at a transit center and transports them to some 20 countries. The field of civil aviation, which plays a special role in fast delivery, is also developing rapidly in the country, adapting itself to the current competitive conditions".
The Minister noted that currently about 1180 branches and offices of "Azerpost" are rendering financial services. In addition, e-commerce participants can also make use of the services of Shebeke service centers established by the ministry.
Ramin Guluzade also stressed the importance of using electronic signature in e-commerce transactions in the country. "E-Government Center and Center of Government Authorities are established within the National Certification Services Center, established by the ministry. The E-Government Center provides the business sector and citizens with enhanced electronic signature certificates for providing links with government authorities".
The Minister invited relevant structures, the banking sector and online payment operators to use the services of Data Center of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies to improve the quality of digital payment in the country, expand their implementation and infrastructure capabilities.
"According to international studies, the innovative development of the digital economy is associated with the use of cloud technologies in all areas. Therefore, protecting the personal data of users in the electronic trading environment and ensuring security in purchase and sale operations are of particular importance. The Electronic Security Service of the ministry takes important measures in this area. The High Tech Park of the ministry supports the implementation of e-commerce initiatives. Moreover, the State Fund for Development of Information Technologies under the ministry gives preferential loans and grants for e-commerce projects, "the Minister stressed.
Ramin Guluzade also noted the need to develop a National Strategy, which will outline the defining line of the work to be done in the field of development of electronic commerce. He stressed the importance of the Baku E-Trade Forum in this context.
Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey Omer Fatih Sayan noted the importance of the development of "Internet of Things", 5G technologies in the expansion of electronic commerce. Stressing the need to formulate an e-commerce strategy for digital payments, the Deputy Minister said that global platforms for the development of e-commerce have recently been created in Turkey.
In his turn, Rector of Azerbaijan State University of Economics Adalat Muradov stated that the correct construction of the education mechanism will contribute to the development of electronic commerce. He said that Azerbaijan State Economic University can issue virtual monetary units for the first time in the region. The first sample of the monetary unit Unicoin was presented to the representative of the World Trade Organization for evaluation within the framework of the forum.
Speaking at the forum, the representatives of the World Trade Organization, the Universal Postal Union talked on the developments in the world markets, and provided detailed information on the standards set to achieve positive results in this direction. They noted that Azerbaijan has all the necessary infrastructure for the development of the e-trade mechanism.
