The forum held in Shusha featured discussions on expanding cooperation among the competition authorities of the OTS member states, implementing competition policy, and strengthening regional integration.

The Competition Forum of Heads of Competition Authorities of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was held in Shusha under the organization of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The event brought together the heads and senior representatives of the competition authorities of Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Hungary, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as well as the Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States and representatives of relevant government institutions and the private sector.

The opening ceremony featured remarks by Elnur Baghirov, Chairman of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Samad Bashirli, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan; and Merey Mukajan, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States.

The speakers highlighted the importance of expanding economic integration among the member states of the Organization of Turkic States, particularly by strengthening joint cooperation platforms in the field of competition policy.

It was noted that the main objectives of the forum were to harmonize approaches to competition policy among the OTS member states and expand the exchange of legal and institutional experience between the parties.

The forum continued with a panel discussion entitled “Competition Policy as One of the Driving Forces of the OTS: Regional Cooperation,” moderated by Jafar Babayev, First Deputy Head of the State Agency.

The panel featured contributions from Elnur Baghirov, Chairman of the State Agency for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Birol Küle, President of the Turkish Competition Authority; Khalilillo Turakhujayev, Chairman of the Competition Promotion and Consumer Protection Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Nurjan Kadirbekova, Deputy Head of the Anti-Monopoly Regulation Service under the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic; and Bolat Sambetov, Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Protection and Development of Competition of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The panel discussion focused on the development of competition policy in the context of regional cooperation, strengthening coordination among competition authorities, and the formation of a competitive and integrated economic space within the OTS region.