Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan is developing rapidly and the pace of its economic development is ahead of many of the leading economies of the world, a well-known Egyptian businessman and public figure of Alexandria has said in an interview with AzerTAc state news agency.

Amr Ibrahim Shandy, who is president of the Egyptian-Azerbaijani commercial representation and the founder of the Egyptian-Azerbaijani magazine EgAz, said that every time he comes to Azerbaijan and sees the positive changes, he admires the pragmatic policy of the leadership of the country that allowed such significant positive results and sustainable growth.

"I have visited some of the CIS countries, but such a level of development that is observed today in Azerbaijan I have never seen," he says.

Shandy said Azerbaijan is now "an island of stability and well-being", while the economies of many countries are experiencing challenges.

"Azerbaijan shows an example of successful economic development and is at the high-ranking positions on many key points of the economy," he said. "I am deeply convinced that all this is a logical result of the far-sighted policy of the Azerbaijani authorities and leadership talent of President Ilham Aliyev. He is not only the author of the political and economic reforms in the country, a new model of successful economic development of Azerbaijan, but also sees the great goal of strengthening the power of the country, systematically putting into practice new tasks for the future. When you walk through Baku and visit regions of the country, you see a construction boom and other signs of economic growth of the country."

Shandy said revenues from oil and gas resources of the country are directed to the development of the non-oil sector of the economy - the creation of industrial production, the increase in GDP per capita, etc.

Shandy emphasized the role of the architect of the modern Azerbaijani state Heydar Aliyev, about whom he has read a lot, saying he knows about his special role in history.

"As a great world statesman, he defined the strategy of the country having importance for the future of Azerbaijan in the long term. It was him who laid the foundation for a national strategy for the modernization of Azerbaijan, the creation of an independent, prosperous and politically stable country. It is gratifying that the policy is being pursued by President Ilham Aliyev, who has led the country to a new level.

"In my opinion, the talent of a statesman and a wise and far-sighted policy of Heydar Aliyev was especially clearly manifested in the signing of the 'Contract of the Century' with the world's leading oil companies of the United Kingdom, the United States, France and other members of the consortium. The involvement of multinational companies, as well as the huge investment in the country, which had just gained independence, were strategically important, and in some sense, a determining factor for the future of Azerbaijan. As a result of this pragmatic policy, today Azerbaijan is one of the fastest growing economies in the world with clear perspectives and an influential country in the international arena," the Egyptian entrepreneur said.

"Currently we are in talks with leading Egyptian businessmen to attract additional investments to Azerbaijan. I would like to stress once again that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner and to date it has provided a fully secure and favorable investment climate. We believe that if someone wants to invest in the South Caucasus region, the most secure and safe country is Azerbaijan," Shandy said.

Regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Shandy said that he supports the policy of Azerbaijan aimed at liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories. According to him, it is noteworthy that despite the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the country retains its investment trustworthiness.

"We believe and hope for a fair settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, in accordance with the fundamental principles of international law," he said.

As for the prospects of development of cultural and humanitarian relations between the two countries, Shandy said that Azerbaijan is a country with a rich and ancient culture, historical and architectural monuments which have been included in the UNESCO list of cultural heritage.

On the idea of ​​creating an Egyptian-Azerbaijani magazine "EgAz" for Arabic-speaking readers, Shandy said that it was initiated by his wife, an Azerbaijani, and the Azerbaijanis living in Egypt.

"They told me a lot about the ancient history, rich culture and traditions of your wonderful country. I would like to especially thank the Azerbaijani ambassador to Egypt, the beautiful and brilliant diplomat, Arabist Shahin Abdullayev for productive cooperation and support to all of our cultural initiatives. We are honored that he is the honorary president of the magazine."

Shandy said further, "We in the magazine office in Alexandria set up a special room of Azerbaijan, through which we attract attention and advocate for the art and culture of your country, inform the public of Alexandria about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, and other important events of modern history. In the short term, we plan to organize training courses on Azerbaijani language, which also will be our contribution to the promotion of bilateral cultural ties between our two countries."