The milestone tenth Business Forum of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the eighth plenary session of the CICA Business Council have been opened today in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The two high-level events aim to enhance entrepreneurship collaboration among the Member States of CICA, with a particular emphasis on supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), facilitating cross-border partnerships, and promoting sustainable, innovative and inclusive economic growth throughout the region.
These gatherings are organized by the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (KOBİA), in close cooperation with the CICA Secretariat.
According to the CICA, the Business Council Plenary has brought together national representatives and leading business figures for substantive dialogue on key issues driving SME development, including SME digitalization, industrial cooperation, women’s entrepreneurship, smart city initiatives and the green transformation. These themes reflect CICA’s comprehensive approach to addressing current challenges and harnessing emerging opportunities within dynamic landscape of regional commerce.
Throughout a series of panel discussions, participants are set to address strategic topics including the digital transformation of SMEs, the advancement of women’s entrepreneurship, facilitating the green transition of SMEs, promoting SME engagement in smart city ecosystems, expanding cross-border trade and e-commerce, enhancing industrial cooperation, and integrating SMEs into global value chains (GVCs).
The session will review of the initiatives under Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship of CICA. A key highlight will be the official presentation of the drafted SME Landscape in Asia: Interactive Guidebook, a signature project prepared under the coordination of the CICA Secretariat to promote knowledge-sharing and best practices among member states.
To highlight practical engagement, Azerbaijan is hosting an exhibition of products created by SMEs.
Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian officials are meeting in Abu Dhabi for their first-ever trilateral talks on the nearly four-year-long war in Ukraine....
Italy’s legendary couturier Valentino was laid to rest in Rome on Friday (23 January), drawing designers, actors and industry leaders to a ceremony ...
The claim that U.S. President Donald Trump's intervention stopped the execution of 800 detainees is "completely false", said prosecutor-general of Ira...
The Turkish Defence Ministry has called for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)’s “unconditional compliance” with the 18 January ceasefire agreem...
The United Nations nuclear watchdog must clarify its stance on U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear sites last June that lasted 12 days, before ...
SOCAR’s Carbamide plant in Sumgayit has been recognised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a Global Lighthouse site, marking Azerbaijan’s first inclusion in the Forum’s flagship Industry 4.0 network.
NATO’s new 5% of GDP defence pledge shows renewed unity and focus on collective security, Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska told AnewZ in an exclusive interview. It came as U.S. President Donald Trump used his WEF address to again claim credit for pushing allies to lift defence spending.
The strengthening of bilateral ties and peace initiatives in South Caucasus were in focus as President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday (22 January), on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2026.
Azerbaijan’s State Oil Fund, State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), has signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement worth up to $1.4 billion with Brookfield Asset Management on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, officials said.
Qarabağ claimed a late 3–2 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, scoring deep into stoppage time to secure a dramatic home win in Baku.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States has an "armada" heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership in President Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
A commuter train collided with a construction crane in southeastern Spain on Thursday (22 January), injuring several passengers, days after a high-speed rail disaster in Andalusia killed at least 43 people.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Türkiye opposes any form of foreign intervention in Iran, as protests and economic pressures continue to fuel tensions in the Islamic republic.
The Turkish Defence Ministry has called for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)’s “unconditional compliance” with the 18 January ceasefire agreement between the Kurdish-led militant group and Damascus.
The claim that U.S. President Donald Trump's intervention stopped the execution of 800 detainees is "completely false", said prosecutor-general of Iran, Mohammad Movahedi on Friday (23 January). According to him, the number cited by Trump does not exist and the judiciary has made no such decision.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog must clarify its stance on U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear sites last June that lasted 12 days, before inspectors are allowed to visit those facilities, Iranian media on Friday quoted the country's atomic chief as saying.
SOCAR’s Carbamide plant in Sumgayit has been recognised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a Global Lighthouse site, marking Azerbaijan’s first inclusion in the Forum’s flagship Industry 4.0 network.
United Nations agencies have taken over the management of vast detention camps in northeastern Syria housing tens of thousands of people associated with Islamic State (IS), after Kurdish-led forces guarding the sites withdrew amid clashes with Syrian government troops.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment