​Baku hosts presentation of French investment opportunities

Baku. 23 September. REPORT.AZ/ Baku hosted presentation of investment opportunities of France to Azerbaijani entrepreneurs. Report informs, opened the event, Ambassador of France to Azerbaijan Mr. Pascal Monnier stated that Azerbaijan with its growing economy has great potential in the issue of investments. He said that industrial development in France, its innovative technology, widely developing science and tourism sector may attract Azerbaijani investors.

Mr. Ambassador stressed that France is taking steps to attract foreign investment. Therefore, a program was prepared, in the framework of which a person who invests 300,000 euro or more in this country, will be granted a visa for 3 years with the possibility of its further extension for another 3 years.

The process of obtaining a visa to France for the citizens of Azerbaijan was also simplified. As a result, according to the ambassador, the number of Azerbaijani citizens visiting France has doubled in the last 5 years (in 2010, issued about 7,000 visas in 2015 their number is expected to reach 14,000).

The Economic Counselor of the Embassy of France Herve Sarnelli, in turn, said that the French economy is strong, reliable, diversified and open to investment. France's economy is included in 7 largest economies in the world, and second in Europe. The country has more than 20,000 foreign companies.

According to the Counselor, the country is attractive for investments of Azerbaijani businessmen as well-developed transport infrastructure, France actively exports food products (wine, cheese, dairy products), and luxury goods, aerospace products, widely developed innovative technologies.

The representative of Business France Jerome Klose, in turn, noted the presence of a large number of start-up projects in France that could be of interest to young entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan, as well as easy way of opening a branch or business in this country. Thus, according to him, the process of opening a branch in France, takes about 3 weeks at a cost of 2,500 Euros.