Adam Smith Conferences would like to thank all the speakers, sponsors and delegates for their participation in the 1st international AZERBAIJAN INVESTMENT SUMMIT that took place on 8th -9th December 2009 at the Marriott Grosvenor Square in London.

The Azerbaijan Investment Summit 2009 was the 1st international event dedicated to Azerbaijan to be held in London. The summit offered all participants a unique chance to hear, network and discuss the reality of the investment potential in Azerbaijan with Government Ministers and top decision makers from the key banks and corporations.

The 50-strong speaker faculty featured some of the most renowned and influential figures in Azerbaijan, including:

* Sevinj Hasanova, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan
* Elshad Nasirov, Vice-President for Investment and Marketing, SOCAR
* Sakhir Mamedkhanov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Taxes
* Musa Panahov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Transport
* Israfil Mammadov, Chief Investment Officer, State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan
* Firudin Gurbanov, Head of Administration of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Culture and Tourism
* Ilham Guliev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture
* Elmir Valizada, Deputy Minister of Communication and Information Technologies
* Adil Mammadov, Acting President, Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation
* Chingiz Asadullayev, Head of the Azerbaijan-UK Working Group on Inter-parliamentary Relations, National Parliament (Milli Mejlis) and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, AGBank
* Fakhraddin Gurbanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United Kingdom
* Famil Seyidov, Minister for Economic Development, Nakhchivan Auonomous Republic

Plus:

Board Level Executives from leading Azerbaijan and international corporations, such as: Socar, Azercell Telecom, AtaHolding, StatoilHydro, Azneftkimyamash, OMV Gas & Power, Azerbaijan Airlines, AZEL (Azerbaijan Electronics), AzMeCo, Azerenerji etc.

and

Distinguished regional and international financial experts, including: International Bank of Azerbaijan, International Finance Corporation, European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Asian Development Bank, Sumitomo-Mitsui Banking Corporation; Caspian International Investment Company (CIIC), The Sturgeon Investments, Eurasia Capital Management, GFM Cossack Bond Fund, and many others.

The programme of the summit featured 10 information-packed sessions with unique, timely and first-hand information, unavailable elsewhere, focusing on key sectors, such as Oil and Gas, Banking & Finance, Telecoms and IT, Agriculture and Food Processing, Construction and Transport Infrastructure etc

As always, the Summit featured a wide range of innovative features, including:

· KEYNOTES INAUGURAL SESSION

· PANEL DISCUSSION: "What Makes Azerbaijan Appealing to Investors?"

· CASE STUDY SESSION: "Building on Investment Opportunities in Azerbaijan - Success Stories of International Cooperation and Foreign Direct"

· EXTENDED SESSION: Investment opportunities in high growth sectors of the Azerbaijan economy

· IN-DEPTH PARALLEL SESSIONS ON OIL & GAS AND FINANCE

· DEBT AND EQUITY INVESTOR PANEL

Please, do browse through the photo gallery from this event, to get a real sense of what the event was like!