Actual Forecasts Bulletin. Russia: Third Millemium published an article by the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration head, academician Ramiz Mehdiyev "Course of Azerbaijan: from stabilization to modernization" in its issue 23, AzerTaj state news agency reported.
The magazine is issued in Moscow by founder and publisher Rodina journal (Russia),
The article analyzed the formation and development of the state of Azerbaijan on the basis of factual material. The basic agenda has been determined for new independent countries. It includes the necessity for transition from totalitarianism to democracy, from a command economy to a free market, from a part of a vast empire to a national country. On this way Azerbaijan had to overcome political, economic and social crisis in the uneasy transition period. An armed conflict which Azerbaijan was involved in with neighboring Armenia against its will complicated the situation. "As a result of this conflict, more than one million Azerbaijanis were forcibly driven out or were forced to flee their homes. Azerbaijan could enter the 21st century as a politically and economically stable country thanks to Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev's prudent and farsighted policy," Acad. Mehdiyev stressed in his article.
Our country overcame the economic crisis with honor. The crisis checked Azerbaijan's ability. "Despite the sharp drop in energy prices, Azerbaijan has fulfilled the main task by preserving a low level of budget deficit, keeping public external debt at a regulated level, ensuring stability of the national currency and keeping currency reserves. The purposeful and conservative policy on public expenditure, timely anti-crisis measures protected the country from the need to draw loans from international financial institutions. This once again confirmed the stability of the national economy.
The results of 2009 recorded increase in Azerbaijan's GDP by 9.3 percent last year. Moreover, all the planned infrastructure projects and social programs were implemented. This 9.3 percent clearly evidences for success of 2009 for Azerbaijan amid the dismal indices of the world economy. Our economy comprised the two third of the economy of the entire South Caucasus even in 2008.
Thus, the Azerbaijani economy was able to complete its transition period. Liberal, independent, stable economy, based on its own resources, has been created in the country.
By forming the economic basis of modernization, Azerbaijan as a sovereign state solves the problem of economic development in other historical and political conditions, creates a fundamentally new economic system, which is aimed at economic freedom and at the same time at integration into the global economy. We think that this will lead to greater democratization of social consciousness. It will contribute to completing a stage of the basis of civil society, change the place of the individual in society, deliberate understanding of the concept "a free citizen - a strong state," Acad. Mehdiyev wrote.
With regard to intellectual breakthrough in national development, the author belives it is essential to create the necessary conditions for the continuous improvement of education and science, the intellectual level of young people as a key factor for sustainable development of the Azerbaijani statehood. The program on education of Azerbaijani youth abroad in 2007-2015 serves for this task. Roughly 5,000 people are planned to get education at the expense of the State Oil Fund of the Azerbaijani Republic.
While noting the dynamism of the Azerbaijani-Russian relations, Acad. Mehdiyev emphasizes the transition of cooperation between the two nations to an entirely new level - the Azerbaijani-Russian strategic cooperation.
"The basic document, which fixes a new level of bilateral relation, is the 'Declaration on Friendship and Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation', signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in July 2008, " the article says.
Touching upon the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mehdiyev noted that Azerbaijan appreciates the mediation efforts of Russia as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing country, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's personal participation in the negotiation process.
The article said that military and military-technical cooperation is developing between the two countries. Mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic sphere is an important component of the Azerbaijani-Russian relations. The current partnership between Azerbaijan and Russia, covering the entire range of relations, including humanitarian ties, is another evidence of continuity of good traditions of friendship and cooperation, which live, develop and gain new aspects. Results of meetings of the Azerbaijani and Russian presidents, as the practice shows, always had a great positive impact on development of cooperation between our countries, gave them new impetus, speed and new qualitative content. Moreover, these meetings have a beneficial impact on the general political atmosphere in the South Caucasus.
Confidential, human relations that exist between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are a reliable guarantee of the successful implementation of planned programs aimed at further intensification of cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan, Acad. Mehdiyev said.