President: New reforms crucial to develop economy
By Nazrin Gadimova
Business development and the deepening of radical reforms are the priority issues for Azerbaijan at the moment, President Ilham Aliyev said as part of his visit to Azerbaijan’s Tovuz region on February 17.
The Azerbaijani president believes that the new reforms will soon play an important role in the development of local economy.
“All financial, economic mechanisms in Azerbaijan should be based on the experience of the world's leading countries,” Aliyev said. “Development of financial and economic sectors will allow us not to depend on oil prices. This is our main task.”
The president said Azerbaijan has all conditions for entrepreneurship development, adding that the local entrepreneurs selling products abroad will receive funds from the state.
Ilham Aliyev believes that 2016 will be a successful for Azerbaijan in terms of socio-economic development.
“Although our revenues declined significantly, we need to work even more effectively. I am confident that we will achieve economic progress thanks to the development of, in particular, agricultural, processing and industrial sectors,” the head of state noted.
As part of his visit to Tovuz, President Aliyev attended the opening of several facilities. Thus, the head of state inaugurated the road that covers the region’s 13 settlements with a population of 32,000 people, kindergarten (including dailycare center) designed for one hundred children and aimed to provide 35 people with work.
The Azerbaijani President got also familiarized with reconstruction works in the Heydar Aliyev park in Tovuz, as well as inaugurated one of the largest youth centers in the country in Tovuz region’s Govlar city.
Further, Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Tovuzchay reservoir. The Tovuzchay reservoir will improve water supply of 19,825 hectares of land, including 16,886 hectares in Tovuz city and 2,939 hectares in Shamkir as a result of full implementation of the project.
At the same time, 300 hectares of newly irrigated lands in Tovuz will be provided with irrigation water. That will have a positive impact on raising the level of crop yield in this area.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Aliyev noted that he is pleased with the development of agriculture in the Tovuz region.
“Today's ceremony is of particular importance for the development of agriculture, as after commissioning the Tovuzchay reservoir, the agricultural development will go even faster,” the head of state stressed.
Further, the Azerbaijani President arrived in Ganja for a visit.
As part of the visit, he reviewed the Abbas Sahhat city hospital after major overhaul. The facility employs a 370-man medical staff, including 56 doctors. Moreover, he attended the opening of secondary school No. 39 and a dormitory of Azerbaijan State Agrarian University, as well as a 240-seat orphanage-kindergarten after major overhaul.
The head of the state also visited the Ganja Automobile Plant, which manufactured 6,294 tractors and 134 special tractors as of 1 January 2016.
The plant, a foundation stone of which was laid by national leader Heydar Aliyev, was commissioned in 2004. In the first three years, the plant manufactured OKA, UAZ, CHAN-QAN vehicles. Later, the plant opened new assembly lines and embarked on the production of tractors and MAZ trucks under a bilateral agreement with the Minsk automobile and tractor plants.
Further, the president reviewed Ganja European Youth Capital 2016 Park, which occupies a total area of 1.8 hectares, as well as a park-boulevard complex built along the Ganjachay River.
The president opened Nizami electrical substation, which will supply electrical power to more than 6,000 consumers and employ nearly 80 people.
Aliyev visited the construction site of Ganja State Philharmonic with a concert hall for 1,200 seats, an open-air summer cinema theatre, a drawing gallery, an urban center and an observation tower.
The head of state further attended the opening ceremony of a military town, which consists of 14 multi-storey apartment buildings that have a total of 696 flats. There are 48 one-room, 224 two-room, 312 three-room, and 112 four-room flats.
As part of his visit to Ganja, the president went to the Imamzade religious complex, one of the architectural landmarks of the city dating back to the eighth century. Located on the ancient trade roads of the East, the complex was a holy place for Muslims of Azerbaijan and other countries throughout the centuries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the religious complex, Aliyev stressed that the representatives of all religions live in Azerbaijan as one family.
“This is our greatest asset. The Orthodox, Catholic and Albanian churches and synagogues have been repaired in Azerbaijan with support of the state. Religious relations in Azerbaijan are solved on healthy soil,” he said.
The president noted that Azerbaijan has always been keen on further strengthening unity and solidarity in the Muslim world.
“We will make efforts in this direction. Once again, I want to say that Azerbaijan is a country with a great reputation in the Muslim world. We have achieved this not only due to economic and social development. The entire Muslim world appreciates the role that we play in interreligious relations,” President Aliyev concluded.