Publicat pe 06/05/2019

Bucharest, April 24^th: The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR), in cooperation with the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Bucharest, organized on Wednesday, April 24^th, the seminar on “Perspectives of Caspian Cooperation”, in order to identify opportunities for business and investment in the region.

During the event, topics of common interest were addressed both for Romania and for the Caspian Sea countries, such as the attraction of direct investments in various sectors such as industry, energy, agriculture, commerce or tourism, starting from the economic potential of this region.

“When we talk about the Caspian region, we are talking about energy resources, such as gas and oil. But we have to realize that this area means much more economically. There is tremendous potential in terms of business development in agriculture, industry, tourism, and Romanian business people are very interested in investing in this area. At the same time, we cannot speak of the Caspian Sea without reference to the Black Sea and we must point out that Romania is a commercial gateway for the companies from the Center of Asia to the states of the European Union” said Mr. Lazăr Comănescu, Counselor on Foreign Affairs of the President of CCIR.

“The Caspian Sea area is of particular geopolitical importance, the states in this area have a strong infrastructure as a result of investments made in recent years, and here we refer to rail, sea or air. This is conducive to the development of major projects in diverse areas such as transport, tourism, and industry. We want to finalize a partnership agreement between the European Union and Central Asia, to benefit both the Caspian Sea states and our European partners” said E.S. Mister. Annamammet Annayev, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Romania.

Representatives of the Romanian authorities, of the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, stressed the importance of developing trade relations with Caspian countries, with a focus on both the freight transport infrastructure the one related to legislative issues or the reduction of bureaucracy, which ultimately leads to the increase of the commercial volume. It also presented the main advantages in terms of investment opportunities in Romania, such as sustained economic growth, low value-added tax, and skilled workforce.

The seminar also benefited from the presence of the ambassadors of the Caspian, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kazakhstan states referring to the quality of the economic relations they have developed with Romania over time while confirming the full opening support for the Romanian companies wishing to expand their businesses in these countries.

Background

The first edition of the Caspian Economic Forum will take place on August, 12^th, 2019 in Turkmenistan and will focus on the implementation of joint investment projects and programs, the creation of special free economic zones, cooperation in the digital economy, the development of cooperation between coastal states and joint ventures.

This forum will be attended by members of the governments of Caspian Sea countries, heads of diplomatic missions, banking societies, industrial associations, entrepreneurs, researchers, etc.