President: Azerbaijan has registered dynamic development in 2018

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev chaired a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to results of socio-economic development in the nine months of 2018 and objectives for the future on October 9.

Speaking at the meeting, he noted that 2018 was a successful year for the country.

“All the tasks we have set ourselves since the beginning of the year have been fulfilled successfully and on time. Azerbaijan has registered dynamic development in 2018, and our country has lived in the conditions of peace, stability and security,” President Aliyev said.

He went on to say that stability and security are among the key factors for any country today, adding that stability and successful development in Azerbaijan is underpinned by a thought-out policy.

“The situation in the world and in our region in particular remains tense, as new centers of confrontation and conflict are emerging. Unfortunately, the tensions which emerged in previous years are still there,” he said.

The head of state also underlined that there are no sources of internal risks in Azerbaijan. He also pointed out that the international positions of Azerbaijan were further reinforced in 2018, noting numerous meetings in bilateral and multilateral formats.

“This indicates that Azerbaijan pursues a very flexible and multi-vector foreign policy. The agreements reached in a bilateral format are being implemented. Azerbaijan is known in the world as a reliable partner, we enjoy trust because our words do not contradict our deeds,” he said.

“As always, our relations with Muslim countries are in the spotlight. This is one of the priority issues of our foreign policy. Azerbaijan is an active and authoritative member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. We demonstrate and promote Islamic solidarity in all international organizations and at international events. It is no coincidence that last year was declared a “Year of Islamic Solidarity” in Azerbaijan. Our work towards strengthening unity and solidarity in Azerbaijan and is highly valued in the Muslim world,” President Aliyev added.

He further said that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is giving a high assessment to our work.

“We will continue our efforts in this direction. It is no coincidence that Nakhchivan has been the second Azerbaijani city after Baku to have been awarded the title of the Capital of Islamic Culture this year. We perceive and view this as a manifestation of the entire Muslim world’s respect for us. At the same time, this decision, of course, is associated with the positive role we are playing in the Islamic world, and we will continue our efforts in this direction,” he said.

President Aliyev also mentioned numerous events related to multiculturalism that have been held in Azerbaijan, adding that Azerbaijan participated in a number of important international events this year.

“Among them I would like to specifically note the adoption of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. I think this is a historic document which fully reflects the national interests of Azerbaijan. Five Caspian littoral countries have come to an agreement after lengthy negotiations. This shows that this Convention ensures the interests of all countries. I believe that this is a very important and serious legal document for the development of the region and for the expansion of economic opportunities,” he said.

President Aliyev also recalled that this year Azerbaijan has hosted a major conference of the Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement.

“Azerbaijan carries out successful activities in this organization and will chair the Non-Aligned Movement, one of the largest organizations in the world, from next year. A Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement will be held in Baku,” he added.

The head of state went on to say that another step to develop ties with the European Union has been taken this year.

“The Partnership Priorities document was signed between the European Union and Azerbaijan this summer, and I believe that this is a very important step and an important document. It reflects many significant issues. This includes provisions related to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – they are fair and fully express our position and interests. This document states that the European Union supports the sovereignty, inviolability of borders and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. At the same time, a declaration adopted at the end of the NATO Summit once again expressed support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. All these documents further strengthen our position on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There is already a sufficiently broad legal framework for resolving the conflict, but the new steps, in particular, the decisions and resolutions of influential international organizations related to the sovereignty, inviolability of borders, the territorial integrity of our country further strengthen our position,” he said.

Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the public is informed about the current stage of the negotiations related to the conflict.

“The Armenian side’s attempts have not produced any result and the format of negotiations related to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict remains unchanged. These negotiations were, are and should be conducted between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This is proved by the two meetings of foreign ministers of the two countries. Recent events show that the format of negotiations remains unchanged and this conflict must soon be resolved on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, within the framework of the territorial integrity of our country. The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has never been, is not and never will be the subject of negotiations. Therefore, we will continue to adhere to our position of principle. I hope that the new leadership of Armenia demonstrates a constructive approach and our lands are soon freed from occupiers,” he said.

Ilham Aliyev further spoke about military power, saying that the Azerbaijani army is among 50 strongest armies on a global scale.

“This is confirmed by international ratings, by real life and by our military successes. At the same time, two grand military parades have been held in Baku this year, and our military might was demonstrated to the people of Azerbaijan and the whole world. The Azerbaijani army today is fully equipped with the most modern weapons and hardware. This process continues,” he said.

In this regard, he recalled the military parades held in the country this year.

“It is possible to say that we have fully secured our military potential in terms of material and technical capacity. From now onwards, we intend to acquire only the most modern hardware and weaponry, and the number of countries interested in selling this equipment us is growing. There are no difficulties with that already. Compared to previous years, we can now make a choice and are not bound by any one supplier. This is why we are purchasing military products from many countries today. The third defense industry exhibition was successfully held in Baku this year. Many leading companies have demonstrated their products. Azerbaijan showed its military and technical capacity. We are successfully developing in the production of military equipment. Azerbaijan produces military products for more than a thousand items,” President Aliyev said.

He also stressed that the combat capability of the army is also at a high level and this was demonstrated on the battlefield.

Speaking of the country’s development, Ilham Aliyev stated that national economy secures the political interests of Azerbaijan.

“Economic independence allows us an opportunity to pursue an independent policy on the international plane. If we depended on anyone economically, then these opportunities could be limited but we are not dependent on anyone economically. I think this is our historic achievement,” he said.

The head of state underlined that important steps were taken in 2018 to deepen economic reforms.

“I believe that the figures for nine months of this year suggest that we are achieving what we want. As for our economic indicators, I can say that in the first nine months of this year our economy, i.e. the gross domestic product, has increased by 0.8 percent. Growth in the non-oil sector is 1 percent. Industrial production has increased by 2 percent and non-oil industry by 10.8 percent. This indicator is the result of the industrialization policy we have pursued,” he said.

He noted the consistent growth in the agriculture sector.

“As you know, a lot of attention has been paid to the development of agriculture in recent years, in particular to increasing employment in the regions. Extensive support has been provided. We see consistent growth in agriculture. I do hope that this growth becomes even greater in the coming years. Growth in agriculture was 4.3 percent in the first nine months of the year,” President Aliyev said.

He went on to add that inflation is only at 2.6 percent and growth in population incomes constitutes 9.5 percent.

“In other words, revenues exceed inflation. The low level of inflation and its further decline during the year show that our financial situation is very stable and macroeconomic situation is strong,” Ilham Aliyev said.

He emphasized that a total of $9 billion was invested in the country's economy in the first nine months of this year, saying that $5.6 billion of these funds were invested in the non-oil sector.

“Our foreign exchange reserves are growing. They have reached $45 billion. Since the beginning of the year, we have additionally saved up $3 billion,” he said.

The head of state expressed confidence that they will grow even more before the end of the year.

“Foreign trade turnover has grown by 37 percent in the first nine months. Exports have increased by about as much. This is also a very positive fact. Non-oil exports have increased by about 14 percent. I think this is also an excellent indicator. In the first nine months of this year, 85,000 permanent jobs have been created in our country,” he added.

Stressing that the increase of local production is one of the most important factors for the successful development, the President named a number of projects implemented in this direction.

“This includes the creation of gigantic enterprises with direct financial support of the state. For example, I believe that the opening of a propylene plant this year is a very significant event. The President of Italy attended the opening ceremony of this plant together with me. The second SOCAR Polymer project, a high-density polyethylene plant, will also be commissioned by the end of the year. The volume of investment in these plants exceeds $800 million. Of course, these plants will be of great importance for the development of our non-oil industry. Our country will begin to receive a large amount of currency. A nitrogen fertilizer plant should be commissioned by the end of the year. The amount of investment there also amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said.

Ilham Aliyev also recalled that the Star Refinery will be commissioned in Turkey in the near future.

“We have invested heavily in this plant – more than $6 billion. We will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from there every year. So investments made both domestically and abroad will bring us greater benefits in the future and contribute to the sustainable development of our country,” he said.

The head of state then stated that 2018 was an important year for the development of the energy policy.

“In May of this year, we celebrated the official opening of the Southern Gas Corridor in Baku. This is a historic event. A month later, we celebrated the opening of the TANAP project in Turkey, and the Southern Gas Corridor project is being successfully implemented. All these four projects have produced excellent results. This year we will increase gas production. Gas is already coming from Shah Deniz2. Its volume will increase even more next year and beyond. So we are doing everything possible to fully achieve the goal and, according to the latest data provided to me, there are also no problems with the implementation of the TAP project, which is the final part of the Southern Gas Corridor,” he said.

The President noted that the successful completion of the Southern Gas Corridor will open up new opportunities, new horizons for us.

“We will access the markets of many countries with our resources. Then, taking this into account, we can implement new infrastructure projects in these countries,” he said.

The head of state called the Alat international trade seaport a historic project.

“The port was commissioned in May. Thus, an infrastructure project very important for the successful operation of the East-West transport corridor has been implemented. After that, of course, we will expand our transit capabilities. We are now heavily involved not only in the East-West, but also in the North-South transport corridors. The volume of cargo carried along this corridor is on the increase. I have already mentioned this figure but I want to say it again that the volume of cargo transported through the territory of Azerbaijan along the North-South transport corridor has increased more than a hundred times since the beginning of the year. And this is only a beginning. We are currently conducting very serious negotiations with partner countries for the full implementation of this project,” he said.

President Aliyev stressed that since both political weight and political opportunities of transit countries are growing, Azerbaijan also wants its role to grow.

“The events taking place in the region, the huge energy and transport projects being implemented on our initiative, the work we are carrying out in other areas have significantly increased our political weight,” he said.

Ilham Aliyev umderlined that Azerbaijan’s policy is a policy of principle.

“We demonstrate our position on all issues of principle, adequately ensure the national interests of our country and will continue to follow this path,” he concluded.

The meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers also featured the speeches of Minister of Taxes Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade, and Chairman of the Board of Azharkhalcha OJSC Vidadi Muradov.