From December 21 to 25, 2023, in Baku, the forum dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia and Azerbaijan (SPECA), organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) took place. The purpose of the forum was to discuss the economic development of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and to explore the possibilities of enhancing cooperation and regional economic partnerships among these countries. The event emphasized the role of transit routes, digitalization, trade, and infrastructure development, as well as the goals in the field of sustainable development.
The forum was organized by the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Each participating country had its own pavilion where projects were presented in the following areas: entrepreneurship, digital development and innovation, and tourism.
"TechnoGroupService" LLP (TGS) actively participated in the forum, presenting the "InTech-Forecast" and "GreenLight" IT-solutions. During the forum, TGS representatives engaged in fruitful discussions, working on the expansion of TGS projects and the development of partnership and client databases. Additionally, TGS expressed its commitment to support the initiatives of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry and provided international support for their ongoing projects.
On December 24, the first Summit of Heads of SPECA Participating Countries was held. During the summit, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the establishment of a dedicated fund for economic development and integration, as well as the initiation of joint scientific research on environmental issues. The head of state emphasized that the program has become a unique platform for cooperation between the economies of Central Asia within SPECA.
Kazakhstan, being one of the founding members of the SPECA program, played a key role in its establishment in 1997. The program initially involved Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan joining later. The program's goals, as outlined in the Tashkent Declaration, are to support cooperation, promote economic development, and integrate Central Asian countries into the economies of Europe and Asia.