BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

BAKU GRAND PRIX 6-7 July 2013

The key role of sports in Azerbaijan's development and internationalisation strategy.

Azerbaijan is supporting its quick economic development with an innovative strategy designed to expand its international relations  and to increase its sports exchanges.

On 6th- 7th July Baku will host 23 crews from 13 countries who will challenge each other on the waters of the Caspian Sea, that plays a symbolic role in Azerbaijan's development policy, in terms of environment and tourism.

The Baku Grand Prix 2013 is the first milestone in a journey of major international events, especially in sports, that will be crowned by the first European Olympic Games, due to take place in Baku in june 2015. In 2016, Azerbaijan will host the Chess Olympiad, and the next year, Baku will host the International Congress of AIPS-International Association of Sport Journalists. Add to these, the nominations for the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017 and the World University Games in 2019.

"In the year 2008 I founded the Federation of Powerboating Associations in Azerbaijan - states Ibrahim Nehramli, President of the Azerbaijani Federation - and I was more than glad to embrace and endorse the Power-boating World Championship Class F2 Baku Grand Prix 2013, a project for a great international sport event proposed and developed by S2 Sport Sicurezza. We are proud and excited about the opportunity to support the creation of the first major international powerboating event in Baku, and I am sure that with the endorsement of UIM, this will be only the first step of more to come."

"We are sure that this event represents an exciting opportunity, capable of carrying a wide audience in the heart of a great sporting moment, with which Azerbaijan entrusts to S2 Sport Sicurezza an important task: to draw a "water road" for Baku in order to  discover the aquatic sports and the marine environment," says Maria Juan de Fez, President of S2 Sport Sicurezza.

With a GDP that is expected to exceed 70 billion USD in 2013 (source: EIU), Azerbaijan's economy is based on the extraction of oil, natural gas and other ores. However, it stands out as a dynamic country in other investment areas as well: building, civil engineering, infrastructure, food&farming, tourism, industry,chemistry and ITC.

Azerbaijan's most important trading partner is Italy, with a turnover of over 10 billion euros in 2011 (source: Istat), which is about to double up by 2014.

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SOURCE Adnkronos Comunicazione-Rome (Italy).