Reintegration: Vast advantages loom large on the horizon for Garabagh Armenians What does Baku offer?

The events that took place in the last decade of September in the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan put an end to the existence of the puppet entity. Today, Baku is restoring constitutional law and order in these lands, providing urgent socio-economic measures for the revival and development of the region. All Armenian residents of Garabagh who wish to remain in Garabagh can take advantage of these opportunities. According to a statement released recently by the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, practical activities for the reintegration of the Armenian population of the Garabagh region have begun: the document details their rights, social and infrastructural opportunities, as well as preferences in business, agriculture, etc.

The process of disarmament and disbanding of the illegal Armenian armed formations, which began September 20, ended with the fiasco of the self-proclaimed entity and the complete liquidation of all its institutions and structures. The result of this was the inclusion of all the territories of our country liberated from occupation without exception into the process of peaceful economic development, which has been implemented for the third year in the Garabagh and East Zangezur economic regions of Azerbaijan.

"There is no question that Garabagh lies within the officially recognised borders of Azerbaijan. Europe and the entire international community have never questioned the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Baku has offered to grant citizenship to all Garabagh Armenians who lay down their arms, and today there are no objective obstacles to the reintegration of Garabagh's Armenian inhabitants," an article published the other day by the British newspaper The Guardian said.

As evidenced by numerous facts, confirmed by video recordings and interviews with Armenian residents of the region, the outflow of some Armenians from Garabagh observed in recent days is in no way related to the actions of the Azerbaijani administration or security agencies. On the contrary, the Azerbaijani leadership is consistently carrying out practical activities for the reintegration of Armenians living there. In particular, among the first measures in this direction was the provision of humanitarian aid to the Armenian population.

Immediately after the completion of local counter-terrorism measures, MP Ramin Mammadov, who was appointed responsible for contacts with the Armenian residents of the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, held a number of meetings with them in the towns of Yevlakh and Khojaly, presenting Azerbaijan's reintegration plans to them. The republic's position on this issue is very simple and transparent: regardless of ethnic, religious or linguistic affiliation, all citizens of the country are guaranteed equality of rights and freedoms, including the security of every citizen.

Among the urgent steps taken by the Azerbaijani administration in the Garabagh region is the efforts of employees of the State Migration Service (SMS) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection to receive on-site applications for pre-registration of Armenian residents of Garabagh and to conduct educational activities in this regard. These efforts are aimed at addressing priority social, humanitarian, economic and infrastructural issues, including the resumption of mobile, television and radio services. It is noteworthy that it is also possible to receive applications for pre-registration electronically through a special electronic portal (reintegration.gov.az) opened by the SMS. There are already the first applications in connection with obtaining citizenship of Azerbaijan.

It is expected that in the future the number of such applications will significantly increase, which will be facilitated by the statement of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan published on Monday, October 2. As noted in the document, the management of the territories where Armenian residents live will be carried out through special representative offices of the President of Azerbaijan, and the internal affairs bodies of the republic will ensure the protection of public order in the territory and the safety of residents. At the same time, in accordance with the legislation of Azerbaijan, local residents can be involved in the work of special representations, participate in the activities of municipalities, as well as serve in the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Armenian residents are fully covered by the system of remuneration and social payments applied throughout the country, including benefits, social services and the employment programme implemented in the social sphere in the Garabagh and East Zangezur economic regions, including access to mobile services (Mobile ASAN and Mobile DOST). All residents of the Garabagh region are guaranteed the right to preserve and develop their culture and ethno-cultural peculiarities, freedom of religion, protection of cultural and religious monuments, and the possibility to use the Armenian language.

The most attractive tools of the reintegration process include the directions related to the revival of the region's infrastructure and the creation of conditions for the development of entrepreneurship. In particular, according to the statement of the Presidential Administration, the development of communal and social infrastructure will be ensured in the territories where Armenian citizens of the country live, including the formation of an education and health care system, reconstruction and construction of electricity, gas and water supply, land reclamation, roads, communications, and in a short period of time all this infrastructure will be brought to the level of the country's average data.

Armenian residents will also have access to a package of incentive measures, including tax and customs benefits related to the special economic regime introduced to accelerate development in the Garabagh and East Zangezur economic regions. In order to support entrepreneurial activity, the Armenian population of Garabagh will be able to benefit from preferential loans, interest subsidies, loan guarantees and other financial instruments used in Azerbaijan. Residents engaged in agriculture will be provided with sectoral subsidies and farmers will be exempted from all taxes except land taxes.

In order to understand the scale and nature of the economic benefits provided to entrepreneurs, it is appropriate to recall the preferences available in Azerbaijani territories liberated from occupation. Thus, by the order of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on December 10, 2022 "On some measures to accelerate economic development in the territories liberated from occupation", in order to effectively use the rich resource and infrastructure potential of the Garabagh region, to revive economic activity on the basis of public-private partnership and to create a favourable business environment, additional privileges were granted to the entrepreneurs operating in the region, first of all to those involved in the formation of the processing industry. In particular, residents operating in the region are exempted from paying profit (income), property, land and simplified tax for 10 years from January 1, 2023.

This provision will also apply to the resident's off-sale income received in connection with their activities in the exempted territories. At the same time, from the beginning of the current year and for the next 10 years, machinery, technological equipment and installations by sectors of economic activity and commodity nomenclature, as well as imports of raw materials by residents who are VAT payers in this territory are exempt from VAT. For this purpose, a separate approval of the list of branches of economic activity and commodity nomenclature exempt from VAT is envisaged. In addition, the dividend income of shareholders of legal entities resident in the Garabagh region is also exempted from taxation for a period of 10 years.

Certain VAT exemptions are also envisaged for the tourism and recreation sector. At the same time, impressive subsidies will be provided to agro-parks being established in Garabagh and large grain-growing farms that use modern irrigation systems and have concluded appropriate contracts for the delivery of grain to the State Reserves Agency.

Given the dire socio-economic situation in Garabagh during the occupation, Baku's business proposals to the Armenian ethnic population of the region open up broad prospects for sustainable development and prosperity. There is no doubt that Baku's efforts to reintegrate the region will soon transform Garabagh into a prosperous and attractive region.