An agreement between the governments of the three countries was signed on August 18, 2022 in Baku.

The agreement is aimed at simplifying customs procedures for goods transported in transit on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which passes through the territory of all three states.

"The fund has been providing favorable loans to businesses operating in the liberated territories since 2022. Over 14 million manat (8.2 million USD) have been set aside as of right now for seven initiatives involving these regions' agriculture and industry. To identify the most important industries for preferential financing in these regions, a customized approach has been developed. The service sector is also included in the projects that are supported, in addition to manufacturing and agriculture," he said.

The chairman stated that in an effort to promote investment and economic activity, the Fund has been implementing a system of guarantees and subsidies for business owners since the beginning of February of this year.

"We guarantee up to 90 percent of business loans up to 5 million manat (2.9 million USD) with an annual interest rate of up to 15 percent," Khaliyev explained, emphasizing that projects in exempted territories are provided with a state guarantee.

He noted that entrepreneurs can also receive subsidies on these loans, subsidized by the state at 10 percent of the annual interest rate for up to 36 months.

"In order to streamline the application procedure and accelerate access to finance, we have built an information system called "Electronic Loan and Guarantee" that allows entrepreneurs to submit their applications online. These measures support the resurgence of economic activity in the freed areas and open up new opportunities for businesses in a variety of economic sectors," he added.

In 2023, the Entrepreneurship Development Fund of Azerbaijan provided soft loans worth 193.8 million manats (113.3 million USD) to finance 3,276 investment projects.

Events in Bonn include sessions on 'Linking the Technology Mechanism and the Climate Financial Mechanism', 'Annual Global Dialogue on Climate Stocktaking', 'Dialogue on Ocean and Climate Change', 'Dialogue on Climate Empowerment', and 'Dialogue on Children and Climate Change'.

Bonn will also host the 8th meeting of the Paris Capacity Building Committee (linked to the UN Paris Climate Agreement) and a total of about 20 events on the global climate agenda.

"The high-level events in Bonn were endorsed in March 2024 by the "Troika" of Climate Summit Presidents - the UAE (COP28, held in December 2023), Azerbaijan (COP29, to be held in November 2024 in Baku), and Brazil (COP30, in 2025)," the statement of the UNFCCC noted.

Particularly, Bonn will focus on the national contributions (NDCs) of countries to combat global warming.

Representatives of Azerbaijan will participate in all events in Bonn, as Baku will host COP29 on November 11–24.

"Through COP29, we aim to disseminate information to a wider range of stakeholders regarding projects focused on achieving "net zero emissions" in the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions. However, the persistent threat of landmines in these areas not only jeopardizes lives but also hampers economic recovery efforts. These mines exert significant pressure on the ecological balance of the entire region. Hence, it's no coincidence that Azerbaijan has initiated efforts to include mine clearance as the 18th Sustainable Development Goal by 2030 on the UN agenda. Furthermore, COP29 can serve as a crucial platform to advocate for Azerbaijan's 18th national SDG project within the international community," he said.

This November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 70-80,000 foreign guests.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. COP- the Conference of the Parties - is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.

The cost of participation in the tender is 350 manat (206 USD).

Bidders should send their offers by 18:00 (GMT+4) on May 1, 2024. The tender package will be opened at 18:00 (GMT+4) on May 1, 2024.

Additional information: Phone: (+99455) 844-01-01; Contact Person: Rufat Baylarov (rbaylarov4@gmail.com).

The participation fee is 250 manat, or 147 USD.

The bidders should send their offers by 17:00 (GMT+4) on April 25, 2024. The tender package will be opened at 17:00 (GMT+4) on April 25, 2024.

Additional information: Phone: (+99455) 927-97-47; Contact: Elchin Arbashiev (elchin.erbeshiyev@ddla.gov.az); Address: 2B Khanlar street, Sabail district, Baku city.