France plans to bring more companies to Azerbaijan

Azer News (Azerbaijan) February 18, 2015, p. 5

By Nigar Orujov

France plans to provide French companies operating in Turkey with facilities to enter Azerbaijani market, said Pascal Monnier, French Ambassador to Baku.

The diplomat believes that if these companies manage to develop their business in Turkey, they will be provided with appropriate grounds to work in Azerbaijan as well.

« Turkey and Russia are the largest economic partners of Azerbaijan. At the same time, more than 700 French companies are operating in Turkey. This means they would be able to work effectively in Azerbaijan together with Turkish partners. Turkey and France are often talking about cooperation on the third market, and we have decided that it might be Azerbaijan, » Monnier explained.

The Azerbaijani Industry and Economy Ministry together with the Turkish Chamber of Commerce and the Franco – Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce will organize a workshop in Baku in late May. At the event, the sides will discuss the possibility of cooperation in Azerbaijan.

« In addition to the large contracts that we have signed, (bus, metro, locomotives, satellites), we want to develop small and medium business segments. We need to have more medium-sized companies in Azerbaijan,” he said.

Monnier believes that the French construction companies could offer a lot to Azerbaijan. “There are many effective companies in architecture, design, interior design and decoration in France, one of them – Schneider Electric has already been quite active in Baku. »

Today, France is presented in Azerbaijan in the fields of oil and gas (Total; GDF-Suez; Air Liquide), and is an equipment supplier (Schlumberger, Nexans), he noted.

« A long-term agreement has been signed, under which GDF Suez will buy more than 25 percent of the gas from the field Shah Deniz, » he said.

The diplomat noted that French companies are also involved in projects on the modernization of the railway Baku-Tbilisi-Kars.

« Azerbaijan buys locomotives of the French company Alstom. Bouygues designs new subway lines, a rolling stock will be from the company Alstom, and telecommunications will be provide by the company Thales, » Monnier said.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and France amounted to $1.681 billion in 2014, the Azerbaijan State Customs Committee reported.

Earlier, Azerbaijan’s Economy and Industry Minister Shahin Mustafayev said there is a great potential to expand the involvement of French companies in Azerbaijan’s industrial parks.

French companies are actively participating in the petrochemical, food, agricultural, machine engineering, tourism and other spheres in Azerbaijan. There is a great potential for the development of relations in the sphere of agriculture and winemaking as well.