Menyu

As the winner of the tender initiated by the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ekvita in consortium with the French Organization DMI Associates has successfully completed an EU funded project – “Development of Special Economic Zones in Azerbaijan”. The Project comprised of the following major components such as: In-depth analysis of the existing legal and institutional framework for Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in Azerbaijan; Organizing training and study visits for learning the best practice in the area of establishment and operation of SEZs (industrial cities and business incubators) and industrial clusters to jurisdictions with unique and successful SEZ practice such as Singapore, UAE, Serbia, and Turkey; Identification of gaps based on international best practice; Preparation of normative legal acts based on the analysis of the identified gaps and international best practice (benchmarks); and Organizing capacity building activities (expert consultations, seminars, and workshops) for the Ministry of Economy and the High-Tech Park of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.

On 17 and 18 October 2019, three roundtable discussions dedicated to international trade-related issues were held at the premises of Ekvita Consulting in Baku, Azerbaijan.  Representatives of different ministries and agencies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Taxes, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, Central Bank, State Customs Committee, Financial Markets Supervisory Authority participated in the roundtable discussions in the course of two days.     The roundtable themed “Current WTO issues: WTO Discussions on Electronic Commerce” was held on 18 October with the participation of Alicia Greenidge, senior international expert in international trade law and policy issues based in Geneva Switzerland.  Along with many years of trade negotiations, Ms. Greenidge introduced and negotiated the launch of the WTO agenda on electronic commerce in 1998.   In the first part of the roundtable, Ms. Greenidge presented on the e-commerce discussions at the World Trade Organization. Her presentation covered the evolution of global e-commerce, WTO moratorium on the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions and the WTO’s long-standing Work Programme on e-commerce.  WTO attention on electronic commerce has escalated in the last two years due to recent developments in the sector and the deployment of new technologies in trade and business platforms especially supporting small enterprises and consumers.  The popularity of e-commerce has also resulted in new challenges for consumers and economies. At the same time, the different countries are working to surmount the protection of personal data.  Ms. Greenidge also touched upon the ongoing plurilateral negotiations at the WTO aimed at the establishment of global rules on e-commerce as well as the issues explored in these negotiations, including the free flow of data, protection of data privacy and consumer rights, treatment of localization requirements, among others. The WTO Members’ quest for finding a balance between regulation and liberalization of data flows within the context of e-commerce rule-making was emphasized during the presentation.     In the second part of the roundtable, Farid Valiyev, Head of Project Management Department of the E-Government Development Center presented on the role of e-government in the development of e-commerce in Azerbaijan. Mr. Valiyev informed the participants about the e-government information systems, government-to-government, government-to-consumer and government-to-business information transmissions in Azerbaijan and successful e-government initiatives such as Asanpay, Asanfinans, Asanviza and eAgro information system. The presentations were followed by interactive questions & answers session. The roundtable saw interesting discussions among the participants on electronic payments and taxation of e-commerce transactions globally and in Azerbaijan. Ms. Greenidge noted that Azerbaijan had already moved forward in certain areas of e-commerce which are currently discussed at the international level, which demonstrates that the reforms in the process of negotiations at the WTO are supporting internal advancements for Azerbaijan’s economy and relationships with global partners.         The two other roundtables were dedicated to recent landmark WTO dispute settlement cases. The first one was held on 17 October with the participation of local expert Ilkin Aliyev and was dedicated to “Russia – Measures Concerning Traffic in Transit”. The speaker introduced different exceptions to the WTO obligations and explained the importance of having an exception for national security interests within the WTO legal framework. He then moved to the dispute settlement case in question concerning Russian Federation’s prohibition and restrictions on transit of goods of Ukrainian origin passing from its territory and going to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz Republic. The Russian Federation justified these restrictions on the basis of national security concerns and the WTO dispute settlement panel found this justification consistent with the WTO’s national security exception.  The second roundtable discussion which was dedicated to “European Union – Certain Measures relating to the Energy Sector” dispute took place in the afternoon of 18 October with the participation of local expert Fikrin Bektashi. The speaker gave an introduction to the European Union’s Third Energy Package and its main elements which were challenged by the Russian Federation in the dispute in question for its alleged discriminatory effects. He discussed specific claims by the Russian Federation against the European Union and its certain members States, namely Croatia, Hungary and Lithuania, cited the WTO dispute settlement panel’s analysis and findings as well as referring to the potential effects of the dispute for the Southern Gas Corridor, which involves Azerbaijan as a central player. The background and significance of both disputes ignited interesting discussions among the participants on their potential implications for Azerbaijan.      EKVITA consulting company can provide advice to your company on fighting counterfeit goods and procedure for inclusion of your products in the relevant customs register as well as provide your company with legal support for approaching the State Customs Committee. Lawyers and advocates of Ekvita can also represent your company in judicial cases on the suspension of counterfeit products import in courts of all instances. EKVİTA is a full-service legal, tax and management consulting company with circa 40 full time professionals. Its active clients include several Fortune 500 companies operating globally. The company have also been engaged in government projects as well as worked for international donor organizations such as World Bank. EKVİTA company delivers integrated professional services combining general business advisory support with very strong legal, finance and tax practice. The leading position of EKVİTA in the market has been recognized by international ranking institutions and other relevant international standards.

A round table discussion of alternative financing mechanisms was held at the Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) of Azerbaijan, the agency told Trend. Governmental support in the issue of financing SMEs, as well as potential opportunities for alternative financing, were discussed with the participation of the representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Taxes, the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FIMSA) and the Central Bank of Azerbaijan. The participants were presented with studies conducted as part of the project of technical assistance from the Islamic Development Bank entitled "The Development of the Legal Framework for Islamic Banking". The project is carried out by a consortium consisting of the Islamic Finance Advisory and Assurance Services (IFAAS) and Azerbaijan’s EKVITA Consulting company.   The project's main objective is to attract alternative investments and financial instruments, promote the development of banking, microfinance, securities market and insurance market, and to create conditions for the provision of new financial products and services in the local market, as well as for creating new opportunities for cooperation between companies operating in the field of finance. Foreign experts made presentations on alternative financing mechanisms. The round table was organized within implementation of the Strategic Roadmap for the Production of Consumer Goods at the Level of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises of Azerbaijan, which proposes to expand alternative financing mechanisms and conduct research in this sphere.

Ilgar Mehti led the session of the Azerbaijan-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  On the 5th of October 2018 was organized the General Meeting of the “Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry”. The agenda of the meeting included the election of 8 new members of the Board of Directors, the election of the Managing Director, the amendments to the Charter and the election of the Honorary President. The meeting was chaired by Ilgar Mehti - the member of the Board of Directors of the “Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry”, who was chosen at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders that was organized in May 2018. The ambassador of The French Republic in Azerbaijan Madam Aurelia Bouchez was elected as the Honor President of the Chamber. At present, Chamber's Board of Directors consists of representatives from the above-mentioned 9 companies: AZPROMO, AIC, Bakcell, Sigma Technical Services, Societe Generale, Alstom, Total, Suez and EKVITA.

On Sept. 24, 2019, Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry held business skills training seminar for female artisans. The training program covered such important topics as business registration, accounting, and reporting; personal and business revenue management; legal set-up and contract drafting; and social media marketing. The objectives of the seminar were to expand above-mentioned capacity in female artisans to drastically improve their professional profile and client relationships. During the session on accounting, Ms. Gunel Hadiyeva, Tax Manager at Ekvita, offered insights into basic accounting, issuance of e-invoices, tax reporting, registration of business, as well as new amendments to the Tax Code that could benefit micro and small businesses. Management of personal and business income is vital for businesses and Ms. Sevinj Rustamova, Project Manager at Azerbaijan Micro-Finance Association (AMFA), guided participants through the importance of saving and smart expenditure for business growth. Ms. Sabina Khalilova, Senior Tax & Law Manager at Ernst & Young Azerbaijan, gave important information about legal setup of business, brand and logo registration, and key issues in drafting contracts with corporate clients. The last session was devoted to Social Media Marketing – a prominent communication and sales channel for female artisans. Ms. Inara Mirza, Head of Marketing Department at “Ders Evi”, shared her knowledge and experience in social media marketing, talked about a range of social media management tools that help entrepreneurs build their brands, increase sales, and grow businesses. The training seminar was held on the eve of the 3rd Arts and Craft Trade Fair, which is planned to be held in November 2019 by Azerbaijan-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This year’s Fair, building on the success of the 2nd one, will aim at developing and supporting corporate relationships for female artisans in the run-up to the holiday season.  

Dövlət Gömrük Komitəsində Azərbaycan Respublikası Biznes Mühiti və Beynəlxalq Reytinqlər üzrə Komissiyasının "Sərhəddə ticarət" indikatoru üzrə işçi qrupunun növbəti görüşü keçirilib. Trend-in məlumatına görə, görüşdə Dövlət Gömrük Komitəsi sədrinin birinci müavini, gömrük xidməti general-mayoru İsmayıl Hüseynov, Dövlət Gömrük Komitəsi sədrinin müavini, gömrük xidməti general-mayoru Cavad Qasımov, Baş İdarə rəisləri, Vergilər, İqtisadiyyat, Ədliyyə nazirlikləri, Azərbaycan Milli Elmlər Akademiyası, Qida Təhlükəsizliyi, Kiçik və Orta Biznesin İnkişafı agentlikləri, Azərbaycan-Fransa Ticarət və Sənaye Palatası, "Ekvita", "BM Morrison Partners" və "Ernst & Young Azerbaijan" şirkətlərinin nümayəndələri iştirak edib. Görüşdə sərhəddə ticarət indikatoru üzrə görülən işlər və gələcəkdə atılacaq addımlarla bağlı müzakirələr aparılıb, həmçinin "Yaşıl dəhliz" buraxılış sisteminin tətbiqinin nəticələri, gömrük təmsilçiliyi, elektron bəyanetmə, biznes mühitinin əlverişliyinin artırılması və beynəlxalq reytinqlərdə ölkəmizin mövqeyinin daha da yaxşılaşdırılması üzrə xarici ticarət sahəsində islahatlarla bağlı 2019-cu ilin ikinci yarımilliyi üçün İcra və Kommunikasiya Planında nəzərdə tutulan işlər barədə ətraflı məlumat verilib. Dövlət Gömrük Komitəsi sədrinin birinci müavini İsmayıl Hüseynov bildirib ki, Dünya Bankı tərəfindən nəşr edilən "Doing Business 2020" hesabatının ilkin buraxılışına əsasən, Azərbaycanın dünyanın 20 ən islahatçı ölkəsindən biri kimi elan olunması Prezident İlham Əliyev tərəfindən ölkəmizdə həyata keçirilən iqtisadi islahatların nəticəsidir. Vurğulanıb ki, buraxılışa uyğun olaraq, Azərbaycan Cənubi Qafqaz üzrə yeganə, MDB üzrə dörd ölkədən biridir. Həmçinin qeyd olunub ki, "Doing Business 2020" hesabatı tam şəkildə Dünya Bankı tərəfindən cari ilin 24 oktyabr tarixində açıqlanacaqdır. İsmayıl Hüseynov Prezident İlham Əliyev tərəfindən müəyyən edilən prioritet hədəflər çərçivəsində son illərdə gömrük işinin daha müasir və çevik metodlarla tənzimlənməsi, sağlam iqtisadi rəqabətlilik mühitinin yaradılması, xarici ticarət iştirakçıları üçün əlverişli biznes mühitinin formalaşdırılması istiqamətində mütəmadi islahatların həyata keçirildiyini diqqətə çatdırıb. Komitə sədrinin birinci müavini qısa idxal bəyannamələrinin, "Yaşıl Dəhliz" buraxılış sisteminin tətbiqinin mallar və nəqliyyat vasitələrinin sərhədkeçmə prosesinin sürətləndirilməsinə şərait yaratdığını və bu günədək 470 xarici ticarət iştirakçısına bu sistemdən daimi istifadə hüququ verildiyini qeyd edib. Daha sonra Komitə sədrinin müavini Cavad Qasımov gömrük-keçid məntəqələrində sürətli keçidin təmin olunması, gömrük təmsilçiliyi institutunun formalaşdırılması, gömrük təmsilçilərinin peşə biliklərinin artırılması və digər istiqamətlərdə görülən işlər barədə danışıb. O, gömrük təmsilçiliyi institunun təkmilləşdirilməsi və ixtisas attestatlarının verilməsində əsas məqsədin şəffaflığın artırılması, gömrük qanunvericiliyinə düzgün riayət qaydalarının formalaşdırılması, gömrük rəsmiləşdirilməsi və əməliyyatların sürətli şəkildə həyata keçirilməsi, bu sahədə özəl sektora dəstəyin təmin olunmasından ibarət olduğunu diqqətə çatdırıb. Daha sonra sərhəddə ticarət indikatoru üzrə görülən işlərdən bəhs edən Cavad Qasımov "Yaşıl dəhliz" buraxılış sisteminin tətbiqinin nəticələri, elektron bəyanetmə və gömrük orqanlarında həyata keçirilən digər yeniliklərlə bağlı işçi qrupunun üzvlərinə ətraflı məlumat verib, növbəti görüşün gündəliyinin hazırlanması ilə bağlı təkliflər səsləndirib. Görüşün sonunda DGK Gömrük Nəzarətının Təşkili və Ticarətin Asanlaşdırılması Baş İdarəsinin Beynəlxalq ticarətə dəstək şöbəsinin rəisi Rövşən Namazov "Biznes mühiti və beynəlxalq reytinqlər üzrə Komissiyanın internet portalı (azranking.az) "Rəqəmsal Təqvim" və "İdarəetmə və İnteqrasiya Paneli" barədə məlumatlandırma" adlı təqdimatla çıxış edib. Təqdimat zamanı bildirilib ki, "Sərhəddə ticarət" indikatoru üzrə işçi qrupunun tərkibinə 3 yeni üzv - Kiçik və Orta Biznesin İnkişafı Agentliyi (1 nəfər) və Azərbaycan-Fransa Ticarət və Sənaye Palatası (2 nəfər) daxil edilib, hazırda ümumi üzvlərin sayı 13-ə çatıb. Daha sonra görüşün gündəliyinə uyğun mövzular ətrafında fikir mübadiləsi aparılıb, iştirakçıların təklifləri dinlənilib və onların sualları cavablandırılıb.

 On 21 January 2020, final conference of the EU-funded project “Support and Strengthening Capacity of the WTO Department of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the WTO Accession Negotiations” took place. The project started its activities on 23 January 2018. The project partner was the Ministry of Economy. Other beneficiaries included several Ministries, Committees, and State Agencies, among others. During two years of its activity, the project assisted the Government of Azerbaijan in improvement of the trade-related legislation and its compliance with WTO rules and the best international practices, provided assistance to the negotiating team in WTO accession negotiations, contributed to strengthening the institutional capacity of the Trade Policy and WTO Department of the Ministry of Economy, in particular in preparation for the WTO accession negotiations and raised public awareness on the WTO and trade-related issues. The project was implemented by the consortium consisting of DMI Associates (France) and Ekvita (Azerbaijan). The final conference of the project was organized by EU delegation, DMI Associates and Ekvita to present the activities implemented and the results achieved by the project. Officials of the Government of Azerbaijan, including representatives of the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan, private sector and academic institutions participated in the conference. Representatives of the consortium, Ms. Celeste Van Den Broeck, Director of DMI Associates and Mr. Ilgar Mehti, Director of Ekvita opened the conference and welcomed the guests. Ambassador H.E. Mr. Kestutis Jankauskas, Head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan, emphasized the importance of technical assistance in trade policy area to help the Government of Azerbaijan in implementation of its reform agenda and economic diversification aspirations. He expressed his satisfaction with the work of the project in filling this gap and successfully providing the necessary assistance. Mr. Jankauskas stated the importance of playing by the WTO rules in building bilateral economic relations and attracting foreign investors. He also voiced the need for more public awareness to overcome the misperceptions about the WTO and potential effects of WTO accession to Azerbaijan. Mr. Sahib Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, praised the continous EU-Azerbaijan cooperation. He said that there was a solid legal framework for the bilateral economic relations to improve. Mr. Mammadov also referred to investment inflows from the EU and the bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and different EU member States. He gave a brief overview of the project’s work from the perspective of the Ministry of Economy and emphasized the significant work done in strengthening the capacity of the officials of the Ministry. Ms. Maika Oshikawa, Director of Accessions Division of the WTO confirmed that the economic and institutional reforms are seen as a major benefit by the countries seeking accession to the WTO. She noted that WTO accession can act as an effective external anchor in locking in the reforms undertaken. She drew parallels between 36 acceded countries and Azerbaijan and highlighted the similarities with some of these countries in being resource-based economies and previously economies in transition. Ms. Oshikawa referred to studies showing faster economic growth and improved position in ease of doing business rankings of the countries after their accession to the WTO as well as the long-term welfare and GDP gains from the WTO membership. She gave an overview of Azerbaijan’s accession process to date, informed on possible next steps and expressed her belief that 2020 can be a good opportunity for Azerbaijan to enter the final phase of its WTO accession process. Mr. Marius Bordalba, Team Leader of the project during the first year of its implementation, informed the participants about the commencement of the project and high expectations from all sides. He praised the cooperativeness of the Beneficiary and lines agencies and noted that the project’s approach from the start was creativity and sustainable engagement with all relevant stakeholders. He described in detail the project’s objectives, main directions of activities and the assistance provided during the first year. He referred to the advice provided in different areas of trade regulation, including trade remedies, agriculture, intellectual property based on the WTO requirements and best regulatory practices. He highlighted the importance of daily assistance to the Ministry of Economy and project’s help in the implementation of Strategic Roadmaps upon additional requests. He also touched upon WTO accession-specific activities, including the assistance on preparation of replies to WTO Members questions and other accession documents. Ms. Alicia Greenidge, Team Leader of the project since May 2019 and senior international trade advisor, stated that the project’s activities also aimed at improving bilateral trade relationships of Azerbaijan, increasing the competitiveness and easing Azerbaijan’s integration to global markets. She noted that different activities such as roundtables, that were designed on key issues that may affect Azerbaijan now and in the future as a WTO Member, and academic events provided a forum for different constituents, including various State agencies, private sector representatives and academia to engage with each other. She emphasized the significance of the awareness-raising activities and materials prepared by the project in better informing the public and overcoming misperceptions about the WTO. Ms. Greenidge believed that the technical assistance provided by the project will make Azerbaijan more equipped with understanding the flexibilities existing in the WTO and enormously help in the accession negotiations. The conference continued with a panel of project’s experts presenting the relevant activities and results thereof. Mr. Ilkin Aliyev, key expert of the project, presented the updated www.wto.az web portal, went through the structure and different sections of the portal and emphasized its significance in terms of public awareness-raising on the WTO. The portal contains relevant trade-related laws and regulations, translations of the WTO Agreements into Azerbaijani language, information about the WTO, Azerbaijan’s WTO accession process and the latest news thereon. Mr. Marius Bordalba, in his role as a senior expert on trade remedies, reported on the activities done in the areas of trade remedies, including the review of Azerbaijan’s trade remedies legislation, recommendations provided to the relevant State bodies, preparation of manuals, brochures and leaflets on the use of trade remedies in Azerbaijan. Mr. Laurent Manderieux, senior international expert on intellectual property rights, informed the participants about the project’s contributions to amendments to intellectual property legislation in Azerbaijan, especially on protection of medical test data as well as the activities to raise awareness on border protection of IP rights and Geographical Indications based on the best practices. Ms Aray Kassabekova, senior expert on trade in goods and former negotiator on Kazakshtan’s accession to the WTO, shared Kazakhstan’s experience on excise taxes and negotiations on agricultural subsidies. Ms. Alicia Greenidge, in her role as a senior international expert on trade in services, presented the activities implemented in different service sectors, especially postal services and financial services and touched upon the main issues discussed with the relevant government agencies, including recent regional developments in banking and financial services. More information about the activities of the project as well as all relevant information and documents concerning Azerbaijan’s WTO accession process can be accessed at www.wto.az web portal.

  On 28 January 2020, the EU-funded project “Improved Support for Entrepreneurial Development in Rural Areas’ launched it’s programme of entrepreneurial training for rural women. The project started its activities on 8 May 2019. The project partner is the Ministry of Economy and beneficiaries include the Small and Medium Business Development Agency. The objective is to contribute to business development and employment generation across all economic regions of Azerbaijan and to raise rural livelihoods and the quality of life in rural areas and will have a duration of 30 months. The project is being implemented by an international consortium of consulting firms, led by CTNC (Spain) and EKVITA, based in Baku. An important part of the project is a component to develop the skills and confidence of rural woman to enable them become entrepreneurs. The training has two parts. The first part was about improving the training skills of the new trainers. This part covered topics basics of adult training and learning styles, preparing, delivering and evaluating an effective training as well as presentation technics. This was carried out with 22 participants on 28, 29 and 30 January in Baku with 21 participants representing AQSIA, ABAD, KOBI, ASK and a number of private sector organisations. The programme was developed and delivered by an international training expert, Umit Evren-Guroler, in collaboration with an Azerbaijani training expert, Orkhan Nabiyev.   The second part of the training is about woman entrepreneurship course that will be delivered in rural areas by the the support of Ekvita. The woman entrepreneurship training covers parts on self-assessment and improving self-esteem for the women in rural areas who are preparing to start a business. The training also includes basic information on entrepreneurship, developing a business idea and planning the business.  

EKVITA's director, Ilgar Mehti will speak at Astana International Financial Centre's webinar on-court practices. Astana International Financial Centre in partnership with SIGNUM Law Firm, are delighted to invite participants to attend, free of charge, the latest webinar of the AIFC Court & IAC Webinars Programme 2020. Leading legal practitioners, managing partners from Kazakhstan and CIS will discuss dispute resolution practice during COVID-19 from the perspective of law firms.   Monday, 22 June 2020 16:00-17:00 (Nur-Sultan time) 11:00-12:00 (London time)   Moderator   · Kazakhstan - Sofiya Zhylkaidarova, Managing Partner, SIGNUM Law Firm Speakers · Azerbaijan - Ilgar Mehti, Founder and Director, EKVITA · Ukraine - Elena Sukmanova Partner, Sayenko Kharenko Law Firm · Russia - Vladislav Zabrodin, Managing Partner, Capital Legal Services   See you there!   For registration: https://lnkd.in/g56c6r2  

EKVITA successfully participated in another important event regarding Post-COVID-19 - Online Conference "Recovering SMEs" organized by CCIAF Project Manager of EKVITA Jala Sardarly highlighted  growing interest in agriculture sector and shared results of  2 key relevant Projects implemented by EKVITA. "The main goal of the “Improved Support to Entrepreneurial Development in Rural Areas” Project financed by the European Union is to enhance entrepreneurial qualities, learning and networking skills, and professional awareness. So far, the Project has undertaken a range of training sessions successfully engaging SMEs and provided a unique opportunity for them to cooperate and learn from good examples." Jala brought into the attention of the audience. Jala indicated that in parallel with the EU financed project, EKVITA is an implelenting partner of the Enterprise Development Program (EDP). EDP has contributed to building the principles of equal partnership and fair competition ensuring increased role of national enterprises to satisfy the demand for most goods and services. The Program has been offering a set of support tools for different segments of business. Support tools relate to provision of consulting services and expert advice in structural transformations and creating added values. Successful implementation of the Program ensures the competitiveness of national companies on the world market. Moreover, achievement of objectives and focus on country priorities emphasize on the engagement of enterprises from rural areas. With the help of local and foreign experts, Entrepreneurs from the regions have been trained in intensive knowledge use, new technology utilization and innovation implementation.  

It is a pleasure to announce that EKVITA has been shortlisted and invited to contribute to the preparation of a project concept under a USAID initiative.The ‘’Supporting Business and Professional Associations in Azerbaijan’ initiative aims in gathering association and consulting firms to present and discuss, jointly, ideas to improve the public-private dialogue in Azerbaijan.