Azerbaijan pitches regional hub to German firms

Azerbaijan should be viewed by German businesses not merely as a market of 10 million people, but as an investment and technology cooperation hub spanning the Caspian, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus, Deputy Economy Minister Samad Bashirli said at the German-Azerbaijan Strategic Partnership and Connectivity Conference in Baku.

Bashirli stated that Baku’s core proposal to German manufacturers is to establish local production bases in Azerbaijan to serve the broader regional market, processing Central Asian raw materials for onward export to Europe and Türkiye.

Bashirli announced that an Azerbaijani delegation plans to visit Germany in early November to advance bilateral commercial ventures and convene the inaugural meeting of the Azerbaijan-Germany Business Council. Pointing to the Alat Free Economic Zone as an export-oriented investment springboard on the Middle Corridor, he highlighted strategic projects including the Green Energy Corridor and the Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic Cable.

He added that under Azerbaijan’s Digital Economy Development Strategy for 2026–2029, the government will support the Industry 4.0 digital transformation and AI adoption of up to 300 domestic enterprises by 2030 through subsidized lending and state incentives.

N.Tebrizli