Asaf Hajiyev

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Participation of Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, in the Palandoken Economic Forum, Palandoken (Erzurum, Türkiye), 26-27 April 2025

Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, participated in the Palandoken Economic Forum “An Equitable future in a Smart World: Intelligent Economies and Global Inequality”, organized by the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Palandoken (Erzurum) on 26-27 April 2025.

The Forum was attended by representatives of governments, international organizations, academic and business circles from various countries. The program of the Forum included five main sessions and two special sessions on the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence on the global economy.

At the opening ceremony, President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the Forum participants with a video message and expressed hope that Erzurum will become one of the centres not only for culture and tourism, but also for economic diplomacy. The participants were also addressed by Vice-President of the Republic of Türkiye Cevdet Yilmaz, Mayor of Erzurum Municipality Mehmet Sekmen, Governor of Erzurum Mustafa Çiftçi and Coordinator of the Palandoken Economic Forum Muharrem Çigilik.

The aim of the Forum was to expand dialogue between states and promote innovative approaches to sustainable development in the context of global challenges, as well as to create a platform for discussing the potential impact of AI on global inequality. The key topics of the forum included the prospects for the development of culture and tourism in the age of artificial intelligence, sustainable tourism strategies of the future and new formats of economic interaction, intelligent economy on the agenda of global economy, climate change, ecological transformations, strategies for creating a sustainable future, etc.

On the sidelines of the event, the PABSEC Secretary General met with Mr. Tariq Qureishy, Founder and CEO of “Xponential Group” (United Arab Emirates), who presented the topic “Learning and Leading the Future” and invited him to participate in the Black Sea Forum in Ayder to be held in 2026.

The Secretary General also met with Professor Henrik von Scheel from Switzerland, Originator of “Industry 4.0” within the framework of the World Economic Forum, who presented the topic “Türkiye on a crossroad with the Industry 4.0”. He also expressed interest in the Black Sea Forum in Ayder and expressed his wish to participate in it.

Several events were held within the framework of the Forum, including the Summit of Tourism Ministers of ECO Member Countries, Planting of the Memorial Forest on Behalf of the Forum participants, and the KUDAKAF’25 Career Fair Opening.