Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 9
Trend:
At least 6,000 IDP families will be provided with houses in Azerbaijan every year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at the inauguration of Gobu Park-2 residential complex for the internally displaced persons in Garadagh district of Baku.
“It is a significant day in your life today,” Ilham Aliyev said. “You are moving into a new apartment. Congratulations to you and our other brothers and sisters on this occasion! The commissioning of these two residential compounds is a wonderful and significant event. A total of 1,300 IDP families will live in the most modern conditions here. Beautiful buildings have been constructed here, infrastructure has been created and all facilities have been provided – gas, water, electricity, heating, a beautiful courtyard. Therefore, the commissioning of this compound, of course, is an event of nationwide proportions.”
“The Gobu-1 residential compound was commissioned last year and we participated in its opening,” the Azerbaijani president said. “More than 1,000 people already live there. A total of 1,300 families will live here and another 1,300 families will also live in the Gobu-3 residential compound. Thus, about 4,000 families have been provided with excellent conditions. All the necessary living conditions have been created – schools, kindergartens, a shopping center, a medical center," said the president.
"There are excellent roads leading to the settlement, so there will be no problem with transport. This once again demonstrates that the Azerbaijani state is taking very important steps to resolve the problems of its citizens living in difficult conditions. As you know, hundreds of thousands of IDP families have been provided with houses, more than a hundred IDP settlements have been built. In 2007, the process of liquidation of tent camps was completed and now there are excellent conditions for the IDPs.”
“However, there are still some, who live in difficult conditions – in dormitories, schools, unsuitable buildings, and their problems will also be resolved,” Ilham Aliyev noted. “At least 6,000 IDP families will be provided with houses in Azerbaijan every year. On average, each family consists of five people, so every year we build and commission houses and apartments for 30,000 people. In essence, it is a whole town. Now a new town has been created in Gobu settlement. All the infrastructure is available," said Ilham Aliyev.
"It is no coincidence that international organizations, including the UN, highly appreciate the level of attention and concern for internally displaced people in Azerbaijan and the policy pursued in Azerbaijan in this area is cited as an example for many countries. At the same time, as you know, the amount of benefits provided by the state to internally displaced persons was increased by 50 percent this year. This amount is paid to all IDPs regardless of whether they have a job or not. This is also the result of our social policy. We will continue to pursue this policy in a consistent manner and resolve the housing problems of our compatriots still living in difficult conditions.”
“However, the main issue on the agenda, of course, is the construction of buildings, villages and cities after the liberation of our lands that are still under occupation,” the Azerbaijani president said. “We will do this, just as we built a beautiful settlement in the village of Shikharkh located on the administrative territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region which used to be under occupation. More than 1,000 families have now settled down there. On the lands liberated as a result of the April fighting, a new settlement has been built – Jojug Marjanli, which today epitomizes the unbending spirit and determination of the Azerbaijani people. Our fellow compatriots, many of whom lived in an IDP settlement in Bilasuvar for years, have been provided with housing and willingly returned to their native lands. Today, life is boiling there, land is being cultivated, landscaping work is under way, jobs are being created.”
The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored, Ilham Aliyev added.
“Our territorial integrity is recognized by the whole world and we consistently pursue our policy in this direction,” Ilham Aliyev said. “There can be no talk of any compromise with our territorial integrity. This is not and never will be the topic of negotiations. We must become and are becoming even stronger. Our economic power is growing. At the same time, the will of our people and the resolve of our compatriots expelled from their homes bring the day of liberation of our lands closer.”
“This wonderful place of residence has been created by the private sector,” the Azerbaijani president noted. “This is also an innovation, because until today we have built more than 100 settlements using the resources of the State Oil Fund. I called on large companies in Azerbaijan to realize their social responsibility. I said that well-to-do entrepreneurs should extend a helping hand to those who live in difficult conditions, and I am glad that private businesses have responded to my call positively. The “Gobu-1” and “Gobu-2” residential compounds, as well as “Gobu-3” which is under construction today, have been fully built at the expense of the private sector. Taking this opportunity, I want to say to all Azerbaijani companies – to those that have great opportunities and those that don’t – that they should show solidarity and bear social responsibility.”
“Our society should not have inequality, stratification and poverty,” Ilham Aliyev said. “Look at the great results the fight against poverty is producing. This is acknowledged by all leading international financial institutions. Poverty in Azerbaijan is at 5 percent, but even that should be eliminated. We all know, however, that the poverty rate in some developed countries is 10-15 percent. As they say, this is just for comparison.”
“Therefore, the private sector should be more responsible,” the Azerbaijani president added. “The state helps it a lot, provides loans, creates conditions, implements infrastructure projects. Therefore, the private sector should join this work and apply to the State Committee for Refugees, and say it wants to provide refugees with one, five or 100 apartments. This is the way it should be. I am sure that after these words of mine there will be more appeals to the State Committee for Refugees. Congratulations again!”