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.
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A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Indonesia has reopened Jakarta's main airport and four others after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced widespread flight cancellations, though fresh eruptions have kept authorities on alert.
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Saudi Arabia’s Delta Energy International has signed a 25-year, $200 million oil and gas contract with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, launching exploration and extraction work in the country’s western Kushk-Tirpul basin.
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