KPMG: Azerbaijan could become key platform for regional business

Azerbaijan is well placed to serve as a regional business platform, KPMG Azerbaijan Managing Partner Vitaliy Yakovlev said at the Second Azerbaijan International Investment Forum (AIIF 2026) in Baku, as Caliber.Az correspondent reports.

Speaking during a panel discussion titled “Intangible Investments: Capital of the Future and a New Driver of Economic Growth,” Yakovlev said the priority should extend beyond attracting investment to Azerbaijan and focus on positioning the country as a base for regional business.

“The main question, as I see it, is not how to attract investment to Azerbaijan, but how to make Azerbaijan a platform for regional business and what we need to have in Azerbaijan to achieve this goal. In all areas, Azerbaijan is positioned quite successfully,” he said.

Yakovlev identified three key areas that could support this role: access to potential talent, international standards and appropriate business infrastructure, and access to new markets.

He said the presence of numerous international companies in Azerbaijan was already significant and could help promote international business practices while contributing to the training and development of potential employees.

Yakovlev also pointed to Azerbaijan’s transport and logistics links across the region, including the Middle Corridor, the route through Nakhchivan and a network of energy corridors.

“In addition, Baku International Airport occupies a strategic position for transit between Asia and Europe, which is critically important for the rapid delivery of high-value cargoes such as pharmaceuticals,” he added.

By Tamilla Hasanova