Azerbaijan to boost Karabakh, East Zangezur reconstruction with investments

The Azerbaijani Centre for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication has written in its Reform Overview that state investments in the reconstruction projects covering Karabakh and East Zangezur are planned to reach $8.6 billion from 2025 to 2028. 

In 2024, $2.8 billion will be invested in such projects within the First State Programme on the Great Return to the liberated Azerbaijani territories, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

From 2020 to 2023, Azerbaijan spent $7.1 billion from the state budget on the restoration of the liberated territories.

The Azerbaijani government has set a strategic goal to develop the Karabakh region into a major tourism cluster for both Azerbaijan and the wider Caspian region. This initiative is part of the “First State Programme on the Great Return to the Territories of Azerbaijan Liberated from Occupation,” which was approved in November 2022.

The plan focuses on revitalising Shusha, Lachin, Kalbajar, Gubadli, Zangilan, Fuzuli, and Khojavand districts by leveraging their natural beauty, including mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes. Proposed activities include mountaineering, winter sports, and promoting green, ethnographic, and agritourism.

By 2030, it is anticipated that over 2,000 jobs will be created in the tourism sector across Karabakh and East Zangezur. While demining efforts continue, infrastructure development is underway, with the design and construction of hotels, recreation zones, and balneological resorts already commencing.

By Naila Huseynova