President Aliyev: Azerbaijan one of most attractive countries for investments globally - UPDATE
Azerbaijanis have great business opportunities in various countries, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said addressing the 4th Congress of World Azerbaijanis in Baku June 3.
"I welcome this, it is a very positive factor. It expands our people's economic opportunities," said the president. "At the same time, businessmen residing abroad help their relatives in Azerbaijan. It is very important for those living here."
"Of course, I would like the Azerbaijani businessmen residing abroad to make investments in Azerbaijan," said President Aliyev. "Currently, the investment climate in Azerbaijan is very positive and all influential international financial organizations mention this."
He pointed out that over the last 20 years, since 1995 to date, over $200 billion was invested in Azerbaijan's economy.
"Approximately half of those investments are foreign investments. There is a good investment climate in Azerbaijan and the business environment here is improving day after day," said the president.
"Especially, as a result of the decrees and orders I have signed since the beginning of the year, there has been a very serious turning point in this sphere. All bureaucratic obstacles are being eliminated and full transparency is ensured," President Aliyev added.
"We see the results of all of this in everyday life, in the statements and reports of influential international financial organizations," he said. "Therefore, Azerbaijan is one of the most attractive countries for investments on a global scale."
"Currently, there are investment problems, in markets as well, since the situation is aggravating in the world, in the region we live, in the Middle East and in Europe, new clashes, conflict hotbeds emerge, and the stability is being disrupted," said President Aliyev.
"There will be no investments where there is no stability. There is stability in Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people are the guarantor of this stability," said the president. "This creates good opportunities for the business investments."
President Aliyev called on Azerbaijani businessmen, who have great financial opportunities, to invest in Azerbaijan in various spheres, in particular, in the real sector of economy, agriculture, industry, tourism sector and high technologies.
"All these sectors are developing rapidly. The investments made in these spheres are not wasted and we see this in the economic indicators," said the president.
"Investments are properly protected by the Azerbaijani government, as well as by the adopted laws," he added.
Further, President Aliyev noted that the Azerbaijanis have always proven themselves in the world as the people devoted to the motherland and today that continues to be so.
"Of course, we want every Azerbaijani residing abroad to visit Azerbaijan at least once a year, firstly for the bonds with the homeland not to break, and secondly, because, good conditions have been created in various parts of Azerbaijan," said the president.
He added that wonderful, modern hotels and recreation zones have been created in Baku and Azerbaijan's regions.
"I believe that currently, Azerbaijan is showing its recreational opportunities on a global scale," said the president. "Meanwhile, this will, of course, bring benefits to the country's economy, since currently, the tourism sector is developing rapidly and very serious reforms are underway for even more rapid development in this sector."
"We see that currently, the number of the tourists visiting Azerbaijan is increasing and naturally, we want to see the world Azerbaijanis among those tourists," he added.
President Aliyev pointed out that it will be very good if every Azerbaijani family residing abroad visits Azerbaijan at least once a year.
Extensive information about the Azerbaijani realities should be presented to the international community, emphasized the president.
"We try to do that as a state. But much depends on the diaspora organizations as well," said the president.
"Our access to foreign media is very limited," said President Aliyev. "It is clear that the diaspora organizations of Armenia, of Armenians have been formed over decades. They have penetrated into the world's leading media structures by various means and are represented there," said the president.
"Armenians are seen behind the vast majority of the publications discrediting Azerbaijan, distorting the Azerbaijani realities and slandering us," he said. "We should even more improve our activities in this sphere."
First of all, there should be carried out work with media, according to the president.
The president noted that a layer of Azerbaijani journalists should be established, which would be represented in various media outlets.
"They will defend their homeland and will convey the truth, because the 21st century is the century of information and currently, the information wars exist as a tool and as a weapon."
Azerbaijan's president pointed out that currently, bloody clashes are taking place in various parts of the world.
"How can we know while being in Baku, or in another city about what is happening there, who is right or who is wrong, who is on the offensive and who on defensive? We can know about this only through media outlets," said President Aliyev.
If a coordinated dirty campaign is carried out against any country, the public opinion will eventually also follow the same path, according to the president.
"Therefore, it is our weak spot. It is a priority. I think that this issue should be seriously discussed during the congress," he added.
The president noted that there should be held talks, discussions on taking necessary measures in various countries in order to convey the Azerbaijani realities and a program should be worked out.
"If the Azerbaijani state can in any form provide its support in this issue, we are ready," said President Aliyev.
"The main thing is that we should do it in a planned manner, and perhaps, it should be the primary issue in all countries where Azerbaijani diaspora organizations operate," he added.
"Naturally, extensive information about the Azerbaijani realities should be presented to the international community."
"By taking the advantage of our weakness in the first years of independence, the Armenian diaspora was carrying out a very dirty campaign against us," said President Aliyev.
"The integral part of this campaign was to present Azerbaijan as an anti-democratic country, while Armenia as a miserable country living under the conditions of 'blockade', as well as to spread false, fictitious information about the history of Nagorno-Karabakh. To some extent, they managed to do it," said the president.
President Aliyev recalled that in 1992, the US Congress adopted a well-known and unfair Section 907 [Section 907 of the United States Freedom Support Act bans any kind of direct United States aid to the Azerbaijani government].
"Imagine that Armenia occupied Azerbaijani lands, committed the Khojaly genocide, expelled people from their native lands, and the Congress adopted this decision," said the president.
"The US Congress made an amendment according to which Azerbaijan should be deprived of the US government's aid. Why? Because Azerbaijan keeps Armenia in blockade," said President Aliyev.
"I believe that no parliament has seen a more absurd and hypocritical resolution than this one," said the president. "Why is this happening? Because the venal and corrupt congressmen affiliated with the Armenian lobby (some of them still continue this dirty mission) resorted to such a lie."
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