Uzbek journalists explore Azerbaijan's post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Karabakh PHOTO

At the initiative of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Uzbekistan and the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre, a media tour for Uzbek journalists has been organised from October 21 to 25 in liberated Karabakh.

According to the Cultural Centre, the journalists visited Baku, as well as the Fuzuli, Shusha, Aghdam, Lachin, and Zangilan regions, where they prepared articles and video reports, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

This media tour was organised by ICESCO as part of Azerbaijan's "Year of Solidarity for a Green World" in connection with the designation of Shusha as the "Cultural Capital of the Islamic World" in 2024.

The tour includes representatives from Uzbekistan’s State Television and Radio Company, the "History of Uzbekistan" TV channel, Ikbol TV, and correspondents from the websites kun.uz and anıq.uz.

The main purpose of the tour is to inform the public in Uzbekistan and Central Asian countries about Azerbaijan’s achievements in culture and tourism, as well as the destructive policies of Armenia. The tour highlights acts of vandalism committed by Armenia in regions that have been liberated from occupation, including the destruction and looting of cities, villages, and national cultural heritage. Additionally, it showcases Azerbaijan's reconstruction efforts, mine clearance activities, and the rich historical monuments in these areas.

Notably, the Azerbaijani government has set an ambitious target to transform the Karabakh region into a key tourism hub for both Azerbaijan and the broader Caspian area. This objective is part of the "First State Programme on the Great Return to the Territories of Azerbaijan Liberated from Occupation," which received approval in November 2022.

The programme aims to revitalise the districts of Shusha, Lachin, Kalbajar, Gubadli, Zangilan, Fuzuli, and Khojavand by making the most of their natural landscapes, including mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes. Planned activities encompass mountaineering, winter sports, and the promotion of green, ethnographic, and agritourism.

By Aghakazim Guliyev