BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 1.
Belgian-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (BELGAZERCOM) has opened
Baku office, which is a big milestone in bilateral business
relations, Stef Goris, Chairman of BELGAZERCOM, said in an
exclusive interview with Trend September 30 in Baku.


“We have opened our Baku office, which will be led by Rufat
Guliyev. He will also serve as a key contact for Azerbaijani
companies looking to do business in Belgium, helping connect them
with the right partners, just as he has done very efficiently for
this and previous missions. For us, this represents an important
milestone in strengthening business ties between Azerbaijan and
Belgium,” he said, as BELGAZERCOM has organized its third mission
to Baku.


Goris pointed out that Azerbaijani companies could show interest
in high-end technology that can be procured in Belgium.


“We know that the government in Azerbaijan is very active in
developing renewable energy. And in Europe, we will need this
energy resources. By the way, Belgian companies are already
involved in this process, including Sarens Group, which is working
on the heavy lifting required for the onshore production of wind
turbines. These turbines will generate electricity that is planned
to be transmitted via a major cable through the Black Sea to
Europe, and we welcome this development. Azerbaijan is already
playing an important role in supplying energy to Europe, including
gas to Italy and Central Europe, and although Belgium is somewhat
further away, I believe renewable energy will become increasingly
important in the future, making this an area of particular interest
for us,” he added.


Organizing the third mission to Azerbaijani in just 18 months,
Goris noted that the Chamber is already planning to come back next
spring.


“We brought this time four companies. One of them is Move
Intermodal nv, a logistics company, specifically looking for an
Azerbaijani partner to make a joint venture for intermodal
transport, which means train, road and maritime, to bring the
products with his company from the north of Sweden to Baku in one
line. It has already established a similar company in Istanbul,
Türkiye. We met with represenatives of several biggest banks in
Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani Investment Holding to see what can be
done and how we can get somewhere,” said the chairman of
BELGAZERCOM.


In this context, he highlighted the growing importance of the
Middle Corridor amid the geopolitical uncertainties.


“Azerbaijan is on the crossroads from north to south and from
east to west. With the current problems in the world due to the war
in Ukraine, Iran, Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb being closed,
Suez Canal in problem, the pipeline through the desert in Saudi
Arabia under attack, everybody looks at the Middle Corridor, which
is gaining importance. So, we want to be there in time with our
Belgian companies,” added Goris.


The second company is Giuliano Group, a high-end authentic
Italian cuisine.


“We met with CEO of Bridge Group. We also had a meeting with
Emin Agalarov, founder of the Sea Breeze Resort. It was an
eye-opener to see the scale of Sea Breeze. The project is so broad
and covers such a wide range of areas that there was something
relevant for everyone. All our participants were able to identify
useful contacts and opportunities across their respective sectors.
Next time, we may bring real estate companies from Flanders to
explore the project and its potential in more detail.


The follow-up was immediate: we were contacted by the staff to
continue discussions on the issues raised. This stands in contrast
to Europe, where the potential of Azerbaijan is still
underestimated and not fully understood. I’m very surprised by how
efficiently people in this country can work at short notice. Even
over the weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, we had so many
interesting meetings,” he said.







Goris noted that the third company is G&F Greentech, which
makes natural grass fields with irrigation from bottom to the
top.


“We met with representatives of the Association of Football
Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) to discuss possible cooperation.
The fourth company is Dirty Monitor, an enthusiastic creative
studio, pioneer in the field of content conception and realization
for video mapping,” he explained.


Talking about future missions, Goris noted that he already has
two candidates for the next mission in April 2027.


“In September, we are also planning a joint exploratory mission
to Baku with Voka Limburg, the largest business organization in
Belgium, which represents businesses and advocates for their
interests. It will bring together a significant number of
companies, particularly leading businesses from Limburg, with the
aim of introducing them to Azerbaijan, promoting the country and
exploring potential business opportunities,” he added.


Goris said BELGAZERCOM believes Azerbaijan’s consumer market has
become more sophisticated, with growing demand for high-end and
luxury goods compared with 20 years ago.


“There are luxury products that Belgian companies produce that
could potentially be introduced to the Azerbaijani market. I’m not
referring only to chocolates; Belgium also has a particularly
strong beer sector, with around 2,500 beer brands produced in the
country, including many specialty beers,” he added.


Moreover, he noted that Liège Airport has also become a
corporate member of the Chamber and is exploring closer cooperation
with Baku, particularly in air cargo.


“I understand that a new airport focused mainly on cargo is also
being developed in Azerbaijan, so I believe it would be valuable
for Liège Airport to be among the first European airports to
establish a connection and help create a cargo hub between East and
West,” he said.


Goris believes that pharmaceuticals are another area which has a
significant potential for cooperation.


“Belgium has strong expertise in chemistry and pharmaceuticals,
with companies such as Janssen Pharmaceutica, so we should explore
how Belgian and Azerbaijani companies can cooperate and develop
opportunities in this sector. There is clearly a lot to do, and we
already know what we need to work on over the coming months,” he
concluded.