Sharjah hosts the first UAE–Azerbaijan Business Council meeting

The meeting was chaired on the UAE side by Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Vice Chairman of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of SCCI. The Azerbaijani delegation was led by Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of Azerbaijan’s Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA), with Council members from both countries in attendance. 

During the meeting, discussions focused on ways to enhance trade and investment cooperation between the two sides, with emphasis on key sectors including transportation, energy, construction and interior design, textiles, timber industries, ICT, financial services, tourism, and educational institutions.

In his welcoming remarks, Abdallah Sultan Al Owais stated that the UAE and Azerbaijan maintain strong and steadily developing bilateral relations spanning multiple sectors, supported by a series of cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding.

He emphasized the need to work toward further advancing trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, pointing to the mutual interest and commitment of both sides to elevating their partnership and pursue new avenues for growth and development.

Al Owais underscored the importance of expanding private-sector collaboration and promoting coordinated engagement between Emirati and Azerbaijani business entities to enhance trade exchange and achieve mutually aligned growth objectives.

“The Memorandum of Understanding signed on 16 September 2025 between the UAE Chambers Federation and Azerbaijan’s Small and Medium Business Development Agency serves as a key instrument for advancing bilateral business cooperation. There is a strong intention to further develop this memorandum and actively pursue the full activation of the joint Business Council,” he added.

For his part, Orkhan Mammadov noted that his delegation comprises several Azerbaijani companies representing various sectors, including tourism, agriculture, and technology, demonstrating the breadth of potential collaboration areas between businesses in both countries.

He highlighted ongoing joint initiatives designed to expand bilateral trade, particularly through reciprocal visits and business missions. He emphasized that the UAE–Azerbaijan Business Council plays a vital role in establishing a direct communication channel between Emirati entrepreneurs and their counterparts in Azerbaijan.

Mammadov encouraged Emirati companies to explore available investment opportunities in sectors of mutual interest, such as agriculture, manufacturing, and food production, and to discuss potential cooperation with the Azerbaijani companies represented in his delegation.

He affirmed that KOBİA stands fully prepared to facilitate and support Emirati investors seeking to enter the Azerbaijani market.

The meeting included a briefing on Council members and a review of the Council’s operational framework, in addition to discussions on future plans designed to support the strategic priorities of the business communities in both markets.