Foreign

Foreign

U.S. and Azerbaijani analysts discussed Rehabilitation of Azerbaijanâ€™s Post-Conflict Territories

19 March 2011 03:18 (UTC +04:00)

Washington. Isabel Levine â€“ APA. â€œBasic Principles for the Rehabilitation of Azerbaijanâ€™s Post-Conflict Territoriesâ€ have been discussed in US capital, with participation of top US and Azeri analysts.

Frederick Starr, chairman of the SAIS Central Asia Central Asia-Caucasus Institute (CACI); Eldar Ismailov, founder and chairman of the Institute of Strategic Studies of the Caucasus (ISSC); Nazim Muzaffarli, editor-in-chief of The Caucasus and Globalization Journal and Jahangir Hajiyev, chairman of the International Bank of Azerbaijan, discussed the topic during a presentation of a new study in Washington DC on March 18.

The political scientists expressed their views over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the ways it should be adjusted.

Starr said the participants werenâ€™t willing to discuss the political part of the conflict, but decided to focus on the question â€“ what should be done in the seven occupied regions and other surrounding areas once they are freed from Armenian occupation, so that the region prospers and develops.

Hajiyev said the experts wanted to propose a so-called â€œplan of how to develop the Nagorno-Karabakh region after the conflict is over. This could be a model for the other post-conflict territoriesâ€. He added that Azerbaijan has a huge economic potential to handle the financial aspect of the rehabilitation.
The experts said the rehabilitation of the whole occupied territory will cost approximately US $28,4 million.

Ismailov said â€œthis is a lot of money for our region, and at his very particular moment only Azerbaijan can actually handle itâ€. As a proof of his words he cited Azerbaijanâ€™s growing GDP and other economical numbers.

Muzaffari, who was also one of the co-researchers, said the longer the conflict lasts â€œthe more territory actually needs rehabilitationâ€. He added that â€œeven if the inflation is on the rise nowadays, money is not a problem for Azerbaijan, and the country can really do itâ€. The country should also involve more international organizations into the rehabilitation process as â€œthey have more experienceâ€.

Among the main important projects in the occupied territory the experts named infrastructure rehabilitation, economy integration, almost total rebirth of the area. Among the challenges they named possible corruption and other external risks.