Baku, Azerbaijan, April 13
By Azad Hasanli - Trend:
The people of Azerbaijan have no other option except for Ilham Aliyev – a strong and visionary leader who can play well on all international diplomatic fronts, Malik Ayub Sumbal, columnist, political analyst and broadcaster, wrote in his article for Chinese CGTN website.
“Azerbaijan’s opposition has a problem in that it is much divided, weak and does not have the confidence of the people,” the article said.
There is a lack of vision in the opposition and it has no leader who can face the country’s challenges, like the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the resulting refugee crisis, Sumbal said.
Nagorno-Karabakh was occupied by Armenia and both countries have been involved in cross border firing and skirmishes, the author wrote.
“With such challenges on its doorstep, a weak leadership in Azerbaijan could endanger the country’s territorial integrity,” he said.
“A huge influx of refugees who fled from Nagorno-Karabakh and settled in the capital Baku and surrounding areas has been a big challenge, but the incumbent government managed to resettle one million migrants,” the article said.
Meanwhile, Baku, with its fascinating mix of modern and old infrastructure, leaves no doubt that the current leadership has delivered on its promises for the development of the country, according to the article.
“Ilham Aliyev launched a massive anti-corruption campaign and cracked down on corrupt officials and ministries in his recent term,” the author added.
“He carried out reforms to the social services by launching ASAN, a state agency aimed at making government services more accessible to citizens using modern technology,” the article said. “He also pulled the country out of a severe economic crisis by devaluing the currency after the massive slump in the global oil market, then opened the country to tourism, making it a popular destination for visitors from the Middle East and Asia.”