Domestic

Home page

Domestic

Azerbaijani President: â€œOur goal is to be among the developed countriesâ€

16 September 2009 10:54 (UTC +04:00)

Addressing the event, Ilham Aliyev said a very significant and decisive event happened in the life of the independent Azerbaijan 15 years ago. The head of state noted that the first years of the independence were hard times for Azerbaijan and said the â€œContract of the Centuryâ€ offered new opportunities for the country.
â€œAfter national leader Heydar Aliyev returned to power at the request of people in 1993, the situation became stable, unpleasant events were prevented, our country began to develop. The â€œContract of the Centuryâ€ accelerated the long-lasting development of the country,â€ he said.

The first big transnational consortium was established and the worldâ€™s famous companies included into the consortium, as well as State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) began successful cooperation, the Caspian Sea was opened for the international cooperation. Moreover, for the first time the contract made available the delivery of the Caspianâ€™s hydrocarbon resources to the international markets.

The President underlined the great political significance of the document and noted that the â€œContract of the Centuryâ€ paved the way for huge investment flow in Azerbaijan.
â€œThese investments paved the way for the development of both oil and non-oil sector in Azerbaijan,â€ he said.

Ilham Aliyev underlined that Azerbaijanâ€™s national interests were fully ensured when the â€œContract of the Centuryâ€ was signed and the countryâ€™s successful development began with the implementation of the contract. He said Azerbaijanâ€™s integration into the world community as an independent state.

The head of state noted that the contract was implemented very rapidly, Azerbaijanâ€™s oil-gas pipelines that did not have direct access to the world markets were successfully constructed.
â€œThe operation of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was the second historical event. It is of great importance not only for Azerbaijan, but also for the countries of the region. The importance of this pipeline has increased more, Azerbaijan has become a transit country. The countryâ€™s energy security has been fully ensured, energy resources are delivered to the world market by diversified routes,â€ he said.

According to Ilham Aliyev, oil production will be over 45 million tons, gas production about 30 billion cu m in Azerbaijan this year, this figure will increase in future.
â€œAzerbaijanâ€™s energy policy has switched from the regional stage to the global stage. Azerbaijanâ€™s importance for the world community as a country exporting oil and gas has increased more. We actively participate in the energy security issues,â€ he said.

To the head of state, today Azerbaijan is developing at an accelerated pace and currency reserves of the country are more than 18 billion dollars: â€œOver the last five years, the state budget of Azerbaijan has increased by ten times, GDP increased by 2.6 times in 2003 â€“ 2008, nearly 800 thousand job places have been opened and poverty rate dropped from 49% to 13%â€.

President Aliyev stated that transparency had been provided in Azerbaijan and added the State Oil Fund established in 1999 was a winner of the 2007 UN Public Service Award in the category of â€œImproving transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the Public Serviceâ€.

The head of state emphasized that the reforms carried out in the country were reflected in the reports of international organizations and added that the World Bank declared Azerbaijan as a number one reformer country in 2008: â€œOur goal is to be among the developed countries. Reforms must be continued in order to achieve this goal. The oil revenues are directed to education, healthcare, improvement of living standards of refugees and IDPs and new and modern infrastructure is established. Despite global financial crisis, Azerbaijanâ€™s economy increased by 5% during eight months of this year. Azerbaijan is modern and stable country with strong economyâ€.

In the conclusion of his speech, the President congratulated Azerbaijani People on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the â€œContract of the Centuryâ€.

SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev, President of â€œbp-Azerbaijanâ€ Company Rashid Javanshir and EU Energy Commissioner Andris Pielbags delivered speeches at the ceremony.

Representative of the US Department of State Daniel Stein read out Secretary of State Hillary Clintonâ€™s letter of congratulation. According to him, Azerbaijan is a strategic partner of the United States.

A film devoted to the 15th anniversary of the â€œContract of the Centuryâ€ was demonstrated in the end.