Azerbaijani prime minister attends plenary session of World Government Summit in Dubai PHOTO

Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov took part in the plenary session of the World Government Summit held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on February 15.

While delivering a speech at the meeting, the prime minister said that today the Republic of Azerbaijan is pursuing an independent and active foreign policy, recognised throughout the world as a reliable partner, the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers told Azertag.

According to the message, during the 44-day second Karabakh war, Azerbaijan liberated its ancestral lands, which had been under occupation for almost 30 years. Azerbaijan, always with great respect and responsibility for international law, its norms and principles, today is making efforts to establish peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development in the region. Azerbaijan is always in solidarity with needy countries and renders them assistance.

“Azerbaijan’s support to more than 80 countries in connection with COVID especially over the past period is our contribution to strengthening solidarity in the international arena,” the prime minister said.

While informing about Azerbaijan’s successful chairmanship in the Non-Aligned Movement, Asadov assessed the extension of this chairmanship for a year through the unanimous consent of the member states as a high assessment of the country’s role in the international arena.

The meeting participants were informed about the work being carried out in Azerbaijan to diversify the economy, further improve the business and investment environment, increase the competitiveness of the national economy, ensure social protection of the population, improve people's living conditions and greatly reduce poverty.

According to the message, the gross domestic product increased by 4.6 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021, foreign trade increased year by year, at the same time, external debt was greatly reduced. As a result of measures aimed at diversifying the economy and increasing export potential, exports of non-oil products increased by 12.3 per cent, while 50 per cent of state budget revenues were formed from non-oil and gas revenues. Urgent measures were taken to improve the provision of the domestic market with basic foodstuffs and maintain the level of self-sufficiency in Azerbaijan amid an acute intensification of the food security issue for all countries.

“Among the important components of Azerbaijan’s state policy are the solution of social issues of the population, ensuring its accessibility to the services of state bodies and further increasing the satisfaction of citizens. In this regard, the establishment of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations and the Agency for Sustainable and Operational Social Security upon the Azerbaijani president’s initiative was assessed as a step that opened a qualitatively new stage in the field of public and social services and ensured transparency, efficiency and satisfaction of citizens. Azerbaijan, which has greatly invested in transport infrastructure over the past years, is the initiator and main participant in a number of regional and international transport projects. The Baku International Sea Trade Port, located at the intersection of transport corridors, has a decisive and important role in expanding the country's transit capabilities,” the message said.

While speaking about the success achieved by Azerbaijan in the field of the space industry and modern technologies, the prime minister said that the 74th International Astronautical Congress would be held in Baku in October 2023 and invited representatives of all organisations and institutions operating in this field to the event.

According to the message, Azerbaijan also initiated and participated in a number of important energy projects. The Southern Gas Corridor project is of great importance for ensuring Europe’s energy security.

The prime minister said that moreover, Azerbaijan is strengthening its position as an exporter of electricity, and the country has a huge potential for green energy.

“Together with foreign investors, we have launched projects related to the production of solar and wind energy. One of them is the Garadagh solar power plant project with a capacity of 230 MW, which is being implemented jointly with the Masdar company of the United Arab Emirates. Masdar is one of our main and reliable partners in this sphere,” the prime minister added.

“The importance of the agreement on strategic partnership in development and transmission of green energy, signed among the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary in Bucharest in December 2022, was emphasized,” the message said.

Touching upon the challenges of the post-pandemic and post-conflict period, Asadov brought to the attention that the Azerbaijani president approved the “National Priorities of Socio-Economic Development: Azerbaijan 2030” to ensure the socio-economic development of the country in the next decade.

“The liberation of the Azerbaijani territories, which had been under occupation for almost 30 years, their reintegration into the general economy of the country, the use of the possibilities of new international and regional transport and logistics corridors, in particular, the Zangazur corridor, which is of great importance for the region, will give a great impetus to Azerbaijan’s development,” the message said.