BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 10. Cooperation between the Central Asian nations is crucial for future development in innovation, Executive Director of IT PARK Uzbekistan Abdulahad Kuchkarov said during the "INMerge" Innovation Summit, organized by PASHA Holding for the fourth time, in Baku today, TurkicWorld reports.
Kuchkarov noted that today's global competition extends beyond the region.
"A few years ago, countries competed against each other, but now I believe that the states of Central Asia and the Caucasus are competing with South Asia, Africa, and Europe for foreign investment. Here we see Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan presenting startups from both ecosystems on the same platform.
If we talk about Uzbekistan alone, it has 37 million people, and Kazakhstan has 20 million. But if we consider our region, Central Asia and the Caucasus, it totals over 100 million people. The main advantage of the region for attracting investment is its young talent. In all the countries of the region, whether it's Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, or Azerbaijan, there are many talented young individuals," Kuchkarov noted.
He added that creating educational infrastructure and programs for young professionals is key, as is developing infrastructure for companies and students, enabling them to pursue their development and work on new projects.
This summit, organized by PASHA Holding, aims to contribute to the development of the innovation ecosystem in the country, bringing together startups and investors to provide opportunities for collaboration, as well as creating a platform for exchanging ideas and experiences among all participants in the innovation ecosystem.
