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President Ilham Aliyev: We will have programs and concrete activities for future years

20 September 2008 09:12 (UTC +04:00)

Zagatala â€“ APA. â€œGreat attention has been paid to the transport sector in Azerbaijan recently. Practical measures are taken for the development of civil aviation. 12 Boeing, Airbus and ATR planes made in US and France have been bought recently. Eight more planes will be bought according to the contracts signed recently. Being-787 planes will also be bought. The most advanced technologies are and should be applied in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijanâ€™s successful, all-round development requires it,â€ President Ilham Aliyev said in the inauguration of Zagatala Airport within the framework of his visit to north-western regions, APA reports.

Noting the work done for the development of transport sector in the country, the head of state said new tankers had been bought for Caspian Shipping Company, railways restored, construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway had begun. The president said the railway would link Azerbaijan to Europe, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars would also link Asia to Europe through Azerbaijan and added that it would increase the countryâ€™s transport opportunities.
â€œDue to its geographical location Azerbaijan plays the role of a natural bridge between Europe and Asia. We enrich this natural bridge with infrastructural projects. The construction and operation of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will ensure great economic interests and our political interests will also be fully ensured,â€ the president said.

Ilham Aliyev said there was a project for constructing new highway from Baku to Zagatala and Balaken and underlined that the construction of some parts of the road had already begun.

The head of state said along with Baku there were airports in Nakhchivan, Gandja and Zagatala and noted that Lankaran airport would be opened soon.

Speaking of the rapid development in all the regions of Azerbaijan, the president said over 700,000 new jobs had been created, non-oil sector had developed, the country had been maximally supplied with the main agricultural products.
â€œWe have programs and concrete activities for future years. Economy has grown 2.7 times in the past five years. This indicator has no analogue in the world. Azerbaijanâ€™s development is not observed in any other country. Azerbaijan is the first country in the world in terms of economic growth, not for a year, or two, but for four years. Sustainability of this development is a fact. This development will be long-lasting. The projects we have started today will give good results in a few years. I do not doubt that Azerbaijan will become a rich, mighty and modern state owing to the present activities and measures to be taken in future,â€ he said.

â€œOil strategy initiated by the national leader Heydar Aliyev and being continued for long years gives good results. Azerbaijan does not depend on anybody, growing economic potential suffice for us. Our future development strategy is based on domestic resources. We are sure that our domestic resources and economic reforms will lead us to our goals. These reforms will be continuous,â€ the head of state said and added that the measures taken for carrying out reforms were supported and appreciated by great international financial organizations of the world.

Mentioning that the World Bank announced Azerbaijan as the world’s leading reformer, the president said: â€œWe achieve all this thanks to our work and resolute reforms carried out in Azerbaijan. Additional measures will be taken for improvement of peopleâ€™s welfare, diversification of economy and construction works in all the regions. As a result of it, improvement of the peopleâ€™s welfare and reinforcement of the state are achieved and will be achieved,â€ the president said.