Mr. Santiago Garcia Milà

        IAPH President

        Deputy Managing Director

        Autoritat Portuària de Barcelona, Spain                      

 


I am pleased to welcome you at the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) world ports conference that will held in Baku, Azerbaijan, 8-11 May 2018, hosted by “Baku International Sea Trade Port” CJSC (Port of Baku).

This will be the very first IAPH conference ever to be held in Azerbaijan, and in the region which, I believe, is a significant and proud fact for our host. In the Medieval period, many cities of present-day Azerbaijan were important trading posts on the Silk Road, linking East and West. Today, the Port of Baku continues to play its critical role of a hub port in its contemporary sense. I know that the city of Baku and the country are known to be rich in many diverse cultures and heritages, as they have provided a vital link in the passage of goods and people for many centuries.

The conference theme is “Ports of Future: Building Hubs, Accelerating Connectivity” and it will offer a great opportunity to learn about new trends of the sector, discuss implications and contribution of “One Belt, one Road” initiative to the regional ports and trade links, and hear port experts from all over the world. Therefore, I certainly look forward to the conference for exchanging experiences and points of view with speakers and experts. It is an excellent platform to enrich our knowledge of the port sector and Azerbaijan.

I look forward to seeing you all in Baku in May 2018.