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President Ilham Aliyev: Successes achieved in economic sphere over past 16 years are unmatched in world [PHOTO]

14 March 2020 20:28 (UTC+04:00)
President Ilham Aliyev: Successes achieved in economic sphere over past 16 years are unmatched in world [PHOTO]

By Trend

The successes achieved in the economic sphere over the past 16 years are unmatched in the world, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev addressing the first session of the Azerbaijani Parliament’s sixth convocation on March 10, Trend reports.

“If there are, let them say, look at the statistics – what country has been able to increase its economy 3.4 times in 16 years? The poverty rate that was close to 50 percent is at 4.8 percent now and will decrease even more because salaries and pensions are increasing and will increase further, as well as benefits. The external debt accounts for 17 percent of the gross domestic product. This is a very low rate. In some developed countries, it exceeds 100 percent. But more importantly, our foreign exchange reserves are six times the size of the external debt. So if we want, we can repay our external debt in a month. In order for some countries to pay off their external debt, their foreign exchange reserves should be 50 times higher than they are now,” said the head of state.

He noted that such successes in the economic sphere have been achieved in recent years.

“In the social sphere – salaries and pensions have grown more than 10 times. Problems of internally displaced persons and martyr families are being addressed. We have become a space-faring nation. We have three satellites. The International Congress of Astronautics will be held in Baku in 2022, we won this right in a tense struggle. Four cities took part in this competition - Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore and Baku. We won. Why? Because we are respected there,” said President Ilham Aliyev.

“I can list such facts for a long time. Just look at our energy policy to see what we have done for our people, state and continent. Oil and gas pipelines – the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor is nearing completion today. We did this in a difficult geopolitical setting with minimal, one might say zero losses. Not only did, but also created a format for long-term international cooperation between seven countries. Today these countries are natural friends. Though not allies, but natural friends. Therefore, our role in this area is undeniable, we are the leaders in this area,” said the head of state.

“In the field of transport. We have turned a landlocked country into a transportation hub. There are many such facts, and each of them had a positive impact on the elections. The vast majority of MPs elected to parliament correctly assess these positive trends. Perhaps their victory depended, among other things, on this factor. Today we live as an independent country, pursue an independent policy, do not interfere in anyone’s affairs and we do not allow anyone to interfere in ours. I am sure that we will continue to follow the path of independence and development. I am convinced that the Azerbaijani parliament will be active in this matter,” said President Ilham Aliyev.

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