President Aliyev: Azerbaijan ensures dynamic development despite fall in oil prices (UPDATE)
By Gulgiz Dadashova
Azerbaijan has managed to maintain a high pace of development, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
President Aliyev made the remarks at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development in the first quarter of 2015 and objectives for the future on April 10.
“The economic and financial crisis that gripped the world a few years ago, as well as the negative events and conflicts taking place in the region, did not affect the successful development of Azerbaijan,” President Aliyev said, adding that the stability of the sociopolitical situation in Azerbaijan is the main reason behind the country’s development.
President Aliyev further said the country’s economy has grown by about 3 percent in the first three months of 2015, noting that this is an excellent indicator in today's world.
“Despite the fact that oil prices plummeted at the end of last
year, the economy of Azerbaijan has increased by almost 3 percent.
It is very delightful that our non-oil sector has increased by 7
percent.
Inflation was very low – 1.4 percent. This is also a great
indicator. Incomes of the population have increased by 4.8 percent,
exceeding the inflation rate more than three times
The country's economy has received $27 billion in investments. Of these, $16 billion is domestic investment. This is also very gratifying. In recent years domestic investments have dominated the total volume of investments. Also, foreign investments in the amount of $11 billion show that Azerbaijan is an attractive country for foreign investors. Given the current environment and the extremely difficult situation observed in the world and the region, the attraction of foreign investments worth $11 billion is a great success,” President Aliyev said, noting that country’s main economic indicators for 2014 are very positive.
Speaking about the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President Aliyev noted that unfortunately there was no progress in this direction last year.
“Last year too, Armenia simply chose the strategy of imitating the negotiations. I believe that it is no longer a secret to us and the mediators that Armenia does not want peace. Armenia does not want this conflict to be settled and does not want to vacate the occupied lands despite the fact that the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries have repeatedly stated that the status quo is unacceptable. But these are just words. These are just words that are not underpinned by a serious policy,” the president said.
President Aliyev noted that the unresolved status of this problem should not be attributed only to the unconstructive position of Armenia, pointing to double standards policy of the international organizations.
“Apparently there are forces that are interested in keeping this conflict in a "frozen" or "semi-frozen" state and using it as a means of pressure on Azerbaijan,” he said, noting that
Azerbaijan sticks to a principled stand in this issue.
President Aliyev further noted that the country will further strengthen army potential in 2015.
“Neither the fall in oil prices nor the crises and bloody
clashes taking place nearby can affect our rapid development. I am
absolutely sure that we will successfully complete 2015 and ensure
the development of our country,” President Aliyev said.
In his closing remarks, President Aliyev said that with the decline
in oil price 2015 will be a test for countries rich in natural
resources. “And a well thought-out economic policy, diversification
process, unity between the people and authorities guarantees that
this year too will be a success for our people.
President Aliyev emphasized the importance of focusing on the
development of the non-oil sector in 2015.
The head of state said allocation of preferential loans to
entrepreneurs must be continued in 2015, management principles must
be improved in all government bodies and cases of squandering must
be prevented. The President said that the implementation of
economically and socially important projects, which are necessary
for the country, will be continued.
“In 2015, the channeling of banking resources into the real sector of the economy will, of course, be a priority for us. Of course, it is necessary to allocate funds for various industrial loans and other projects. Shopping centers, office and residential buildings are under construction in Azerbaijan now. And this is natural because the country's economy is developing and people need such projects. This is also necessary. But the priority for the country's economy now is the funds invested in the real sector,” he said.
President Ilham Aliyev hailed the groundbreaking of the Southern Gas Corridor last year as a historic event. “The execution of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is the project of the 21st century, will be an important stage in the development of our country.”
“The author of the Southern Gas Corridor is Azerbaijan. The driving force behind this project is also Azerbaijan. This should be known to all. If it hadn’t been for the strong will of Azerbaijan, this project would never have been realized,” the president said.
Noting that Azerbaijan plays a role in the energy security of
Europe, President Aliyev said this role will gradually increase, as
Azerbaijan is the only new source of gas for Europe.
The head of state further praised preparation for the first
European Games to take place in Baku in several months, and said
that the Organizing Committee is working actively. “The European
Games standard will be set in Baku,” said the President, and hailed
the games as “not only a sporting event, but also an important
opportunity for sportsmen and guests to familiarize themselves with
our country and development processes here”.
“Azerbaijan offers its own model of development. This model is open to all. The economic model – we talked about it today. So it is a unique model of economic development - a model of political reforms. I think that Azerbaijan can serve as an example because by conducting economic reforms we also attach great importance to political reforms.”
“If all countries dealt with their own affairs, did not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and did not put forward unreasonable demands, the world would be more stable and security would be provided. We in Azerbaijan are doing and will continue to do this work. I am sure that we will successfully complete 2015,” President Aliyev concluded.
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