Azerbaijani Presidential Administration summarizes country’s political and socio-economic development - UPDATE

Azerbaijan has achieved historic successes in 2011, Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Social and Political Department Chief Ali Hasanov said in an interview with Trend.

"Political and social situation in Azerbaijan is stable. Steady continuation of socio-economic development under President Ilham Aliyev's leadership has rapidly increased the potential of country's economy in 2011," Hasanov said.

As a result, today there is a steady, stable and dynamically developing economic system in Azerbaijan, Hasanov added. Revolutionary results in Azerbaijan's socio-economic development were achieved not only in 2011, but over an eight-year period in general, Hasanov underlined.

He said as large-scale measures taken through specific programs enabled to establish modern state and modern society in Azerbaijan. "The country has implemented large-scale infrastructure projects, covering road transport sector, public provision, science, education, health, information and communication technologies, that is, covering all socio-economic, cultural and other spheres.

Energy security, mainly Azerbaijan's food security is fully ensured. During this period, Azerbaijan's economy grew by three times, the state budget by 20 times, while foreign exchange reserves were formed in the amount of $50 billion. The country's energy potential strengthened, economy expanded, non-oil sector and industry are rapidly developing. The country has maintained macroeconomic stability, inflation is kept at an unchanged level. In the first nine months of 2011 inflation hit 8.4 percent, cash income grew by 19 percent. Evidently, the growth of cash income is twice more than inflation rate," Hasanov said.

Raising the people's well-being standard over the past period, including in 2011, has been one of the main goals of the internal economic and social policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev, Hasanov underlined. "About one million jobs have been opened, the unemployment ratio fell to 5.5 percent, while the poverty ratio is nine percent. The country implements a program of targeted social assistance, which covers more than 500,000 people. Some 112,000 families monthly receive about an average of $130. Salaries and pensions increase every year, including in 2011, and in terms of these indicators Azerbaijan is among the leaders in the CIS," he added.

According to Hasanov, today Azerbaijan is a country that meets its demands by itself, has a strong defense and security system. It is impossible to exert external pressure on it, threaten it and force to do something. Azerbaijan has achieved important successes in army building. Today, the Azerbaijani army's budget is one and a half times more than entire Armenia's budget. Our armed forces are provided with modern equipment and weapons. The country produces more than 500 types of defensive products, Hasanov added.

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13:17

Azerbaijan will make every effort to eliminate double standards in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Social and Political Department Chief Ali Hasanov said in an interview with Trend.

"The main reason that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict lasts more than 20 years, is the indifference of the international community to Armenia's destructive position," he said. "Nevertheless, we will try to eliminate the double standard and indifferent attitude to the international legal norms by using every opportunity."

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno- Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.

"The fair international environment and relations are out of the question in condition when a microstate and an outpost dictates the terms to the UN that defines and regulates global politics, does not recognize the resolutions and other documents and the world community and the leading countries close their eyes to this in the 21st century," he said. "Hence, one of the main reasons of delaying the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement is the UN insipid position and double standards. For example, the NATO and the leading countries fulfilled the UN Security Council's resolution on Libya within one day. But they do not solve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue for many years. They connive at Armenia, and turn a blind eye to massive bloodshed perpetrated by the Armenians, the violation of human rights and terrorism. As a result, it is clear that there is no fair system and a mechanism to resolve the disputes fairly, to eliminate the problem on the basis of international legal norms in the modern world. It is unknown when it will be created."

Hasanov said that at present, as a member of the UN Security Council, Azerbaijan will regularly include this issue on the agenda. A specific choice must be made, international legal norms must be fulfilled or the truth must be recognized, Hasanov said.

Azerbaijan was elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2012-2013.


/Trend/