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Architecting non-oil future: strategic imperative of Azerbaijan’s Industrial Zones

The global economic landscape is undergoing a profound structural transformation, driven by the dual imperatives of sustainability and diversification. For resource-dependent economies, the challenge is no longer merely about managing oil price volatility but fundamentally re-engineering the engines of national growth. Azerbaijan’s contemporary economic strategy offers a compelling case study in this regard, moving decisively past the rhetorical commitment to diversification toward real, institutionalized transformation. At the absolute vanguard of this transition is the nation’s specialized network of industrial zones. Far from being simple real estate developments or manufacturing clusters, these zones have mutated into the primary institutional and structural platforms required to actualize long-term non-oil export objectives, signaling a sophisticated shift from passive resource extraction to active industrial orchestration.