site.btaFirst AmChams Eurasian Economic Summit Begins in Istanbul

The First AmChams Eurasian Economic Summit (AEES) began on Thursday in Istanbul, where the three co-hosting AmChams of Turkiye, Greece and Bulgaria will bring together nearly 240 representatives of governments, business leaders and media from 14 countries to discuss the strategic importance, value and potential for economic development of this region. The purpose of these business associations is to continue to promote the creation of new business contacts between the participants, reported the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria (AmCham Bulgaria). The conference will last two days.

Organizers believe it will create a dynamic platform for dialogue to deepen business relations in a region stretching from Greece to Georgia, between Ukraine and Uzbekistan, uniting 11 countries. Another goal of the conference is to strengthen ties between the United States and the regional business communities of Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The restoration of Ukraine will also be a focus at the event.

On the first day of the two-day forum, six macro topics will be discussed, together with a series of individual statements from key business and policy speakers, and a number of bilateral business meetings. The second day will be dedicated to the institutional bilateral dialogue. Topics expected to be discussed at the conference include: the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the energy map of the region, development of the regional economy through technology and industrial innovation, the banking sector as a regional engine for growth, tourism, production sustainability.

The participants in the forum will include: Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis, Turkish Investment Office Vice President Bekir Polat, Bulgarian Deputy Energy Minister Iva Petrova, InvestBulgaria Agency Executive Director Mila Nenova, US Department of Commerce Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs in Europe Michael Lally, US Consul General in Turkiye Julie A. Eadeh, AmCham Turkiye President Tankut Turnaoglu, President of American-Hellenic Chamber, AmCham Georgia Executive Director George Welton, AmCham Azerbaijan President Dayanat Sadullayev, Deputy Director for Turkey at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Sule Kilic, Senior Economist for Turkiye at the World Bank Claire Honore Hollweg, Black Sea Trade & Development Bank Director of Energy and Infrastructure Roman Matkiwsky, Charlie Morris, Economic Development Adviser for Central Asia in the UK Department of Foreign Affairs and Development, etc.

The idea for the conference arose from discussions between the leaders of AmCham in Turkiye, the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and AmCham Bulgaria. Exploring the AmChams network in Europe (uniting 50 chambers in Europe and Eurasia for more than 60 years), the initiative welcomes the partnership of American Chambers of Commerce in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The conference is certified by the US Department of Commerce.

Countries whose AmChams are contributing to the organization of the first AEES include: Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. These countries represent a region with about 207 million people, an area of ​​about 2.9 million square kilometres and a GDP of more than USD 1.9 trillion, said AmCham Bulgaria.