FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 6, 2009
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Phone: (202) 333-8702
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Washington, D.C. - The United States - Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) hosted Daniel Stein, Regional Director for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) at a luncheon meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 6.
Stein discussed ongoing USTDA initiatives in Azerbaijan related to aviation, environmental management and financial services. He focused on how USTDA's unique foreign assistance programs are fostering partnerships between U.S. private sector companies and key decision makers in Azerbaijan to seize opportunities in these sectors.
He spoke about the USTDA grant awarded to the State Civil Aviation Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan to support aviation safety standards. The grant provides technical assistance that helps Azerbaijan in meeting International Civil Aviation Organization standards, creating new opportunities for exports of U.S. manufactured goods and services. He also mentioned that Azerbaijan Airlines and Silk Way Airlines ordered a Boeing aircraft, which will establish direct flights to and from the United States.
Elaborating on an underway project between the U.S. and State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), Mr. Stein spoke about a grant agreement related to environmental management - a feasibility study for waste management in Absheron peninsula, which is a the site of some of the world's earliest oil production on the Azerbaijani side of the Caspian sea. The government would invest in a waste management facility in Asheron area.
The USTDA also supported the Azerbaijan State Social Protection Fund (SSPF) in 2008 to assist the Government of Azerbaijan in developing pension programs for the country's citizens. The $600,000 grant partially funds technical assistance to review the program. The BTC pipeline is another USTDA project and a Master Plan for tourism is underway.
"The government of Azerbaijan is looking into different ways to diversify its economy, some of which is agribusiness and the ICT sector," Stein said.
Before joining USTDA in 1985, Stein worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he focused on U.S. trade with the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and the People's Republic of China. While at the Commerce Department, he negotiated several U.S.-China technical cooperation agreements and established successful U.S.-China and U.S.-Soviet legal exchange programs.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is a foreign assistance agency whose mission is to advance economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, investment analysis, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.
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The US - Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) is a nonprofit, Washington, D.C. based organization that seeks to promote trade and investments between the United States and Azerbaijan by rendering various business services. The USACC actively seeks U.S. and international investments and companies whose products and strategic interests can be advanced in the Azerbaijani market. It also serves as a liaison between foreign companies and Azerbaijani businesses and government officials. To learn more about the USACC, please visit www.usacc.org
Source: USACC
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