Javid Shahverdiyev
Azerbaijan Democratic Reforms Development Center Public
Ensuring the sustainable development of our country, developing the non-oil sector, restoring Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, and continuing reforms in the economic and social fields are the priority directions of state policy.
The Commander-in-Chief, who has written his name as a Victorious Commander in the last 200-years history of Azerbaijan, who fully restored territorial integrity and sovereignty, put an end to the longing for homeland of our former refugees and IDPs. Today, under the leadership of our head of state, our people are reviving Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, giving life to these lands.
“Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur will be a new support point of our economic development.” President Ilham Aliyev expressed these views in his speech at the swearing-in ceremony held on February 14. The head of state emphasized that both agricultural, renewable energy and tourism projects in those regions will provide great support to the non-oil sector..
Social infrastructure is being created in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, hospitals, schools, sports facilities are being built, roads, tunnels, bridges are being built, railways are being built. The entire electricity industry has been rebuilt, two international airports have been opened, and the third one will be opened in Lachin.
The goal is to connect the areas to be returned to the social, economic, and cultural life of the country, to stimulate economic growth based on public-private partnership, and to create an institutional base for the implementation of goals such as ensuring sustainable settlement.
When talking about the necessary infrastructure, in addition to roads and water, electricity and gas supply are also in the foreground. The level of work done in connection with the provision of electricity in the liberated territories is truly impressive.
On the whole, our freed lands have great production and agricultural potential. In this regard, after the restoration works, Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions will make a special contribution to economic development in Azerbaijan and will become a new locomotive of development. After the restoration process, the formation of production in our regions will lead to an increase in the share of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur in the economy of Azerbaijan to 8 percent.
The fertile soil, rich nature of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur economic regions, including water resources, will increase productivity by enabling the development of various fields of agriculture. In addition to the economic potential, the liberated territories have a special share in the agricultural sector, mainly in wheat and grain production. It is possible to organize grain production with higher productivity in Fuzuli, Agdam and other regions.
Preliminary assessments show that at the stage after the restoration and reconstruction process, it will be possible to grow agricultural products worth 1 billion manats in these areas, a significant part of which will be wheat and grain. The creation of new farms in traditional fields has already been started in these areas. One of them is the establishment of agricultural parks.
For this purpose, conditions are created for foreign companies to invest in the region. The opening of the “smart agriculture” complex called “Dost Agropark”, a joint venture of Turkish and Azerbaijani companies in Zangilan district, also indicates this. This agricultural park, which was jointly opened by the presidents of Turkiye and Azerbaijan, will mainly deal with animal husbandry and agriculture.
The liberated territories are also very rich in renewable energy sources, and the favorable geographical location of these territories allows to use this potential sufficiently. According to preliminary estimates, there is a potential of more than 7,200 MW of solar energy and up to 2,000 MW of wind energy in the liberated territories.
Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan regions are rich in solar energy potential, and Lachin and Kalbajar regions, which are mainly mountainous regions, are rich in wind energy. A relevant Implementation Agreement has already been signed on the 240 MW solar energy project in Jabrayil region.
The construction project of a 400 MW wind power plant is planned to be implemented in the territory of Lachin and Kalbajar regions. In addition, territories freed from occupation were also declared “Green Energy Zones” by the President of the country .
In this regard, the “Green Energy Zone” Concept was developed within the framework of the agreement signed between the Ministry of Energy and the Japanese company TEPSCO on May 6, 2021.
Along with other infrastructure projects, the Zangezur corridor will have an important role in the export of energy. It is planned to export energy to Turkiye and Europe through this corridor in the future.
Thus, the creation of the “Jabrayil” energy hub, the export of electric energy to Turkiye and the European market by passing through the Zangezur corridor to Nakhchivan MR, will further increase the economic and geopolitical role of Azerbaijan, and will contribute to the economic development of our country.
The liberated Karabakh and East Zangezur region are very rich in terms of tourism potential. God spared nothing from these places. Areas with all the beauties will play an important role in the country’s economy, both in terms of natural resources and the development of industrial centers. As a result of reforms and large-scale projects carried out by the state, in the near future, Karabakh will be known not only in the South Caucasus, but all over the world for its tourism opportunities.
Work continues rapidly in the liberated territories. It is possible to develop different types of tourism in these places in terms of existing conditions. The tourism bases to be created will also have a positive impact on the lifestyle of the local population. Because tourists coming to the area will stay in private houses as well as hotels and sanatoriums.
The tourism potential of Karabakh is very rich, there are all opportunities for the development of ecotourism, mountain tourism, winter tourism, hunting tourism, and health tourism. The geographical position of the region is also very favorable for forming tourism bases in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur region in a more modern style.
This ancient region of Azerbaijan has its own flora and fauna, cuisine, historical cultural and religious monuments, ancient castles, bridges, forests, springs, etc. It will attract tourists with its sights.
In Karabakh, which is rich in natural resources, various types of tourism, agro-tourism, and green tourism can be organized. All this creates wide prospects for the development of tourism.
Kalbajar region is an ideal place for winter tourism. It is important to establish tourism infrastructure in the form of mutual connections in our territories freed from occupation.
Shusha will be one of the symbolic cities of Azerbaijan tourism. The historical monuments and unique architecture of Shusha, the pearl of Azerbaijani culture, will allow the creation of new tourism routes.
Revival & Restoration in Newly Liberated Territories of Azerbaijan – by Javid Shahverdiyev
