BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 25
Trend:
Heydar Aliyev’s policies live on and are further enriched, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said while speaking at an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the city of Sumgayit.
“The arrival of Heydar Aliyev to power is a historic event, of course,” Ilham Aliyev said. “We are following in his footsteps today. His policies live on and are further enriched. Of course, life does not stand still. We face new challenges, new tasks, and we are fulfilling them. The successful development of Azerbaijan today is closely associated to ongoing reforms. The great leader always treated Sumgayit with great warmth. Both in Soviet times and in the years of independence, he visited Sumgayit a number of times. I continue this policy. This is my 24th visit to Sumgayit in 15 years. This in itself suggests that Sumgayit is always treated with attention and care.”
“Of course, a lot has been done to solve problems in Sumgayit,” the Azerbaijani president noted. “First of all, it was necessary to modernize the infrastructure. To do this, a power plant with a capacity of 525 megawatts was commissioned back in 2005. Major funds were spent. The rate of gas supply has reached 100 percent. The drinking water problem has been resolved. City roads are being rebuild, improved and repaired. The Baku-Sumgayit highway has been built. I have now issued the instruction to expand it, as the growing traffic creates greater congestion and jams. We will solve this problem too. The Baku-Sumgayit train is in operation. In fact, the line is operated by two-storey and comfortable “Stadler” carriages produced by the most advanced company in the world. Using a loan provided, modern buses have been imported. So all this work is being carried out in a consistent manner.”
“The city’s utility services are being renewed,” Ilham Aliyev said. “About 80 percent of elevators have been replaced. Roofing has been installed on approximately 1,000 out of 1,300 multi-storey buildings in Sumgayit. Roofing will be installed on the remaining buildings as well. An “ASAN xidmət” center has been established. I have now issued the instruction to set up a second “ASAN xidmət” center, because the demand is growing and people sometimes queue up. We cannot allow this.”
“The social infrastructure is being updated,” the Azerbaijani president added. “New settlements and homes for internally displaced persons are built. A total of 1,800 families have already been accommodated this year. At least 3,000 displaced families will move into new homes next year. The construction of houses for IDPs will be continued in Sumgayit in the future, so that displaced people living in poor conditions in dormitories, kindergartens and other places are relocated to good houses. We will do that too.”
“Schools are under construction,” Ilham Aliyev said. “On my instructions, Hospital No. 1 was overhauled about five to six years ago. Funds have now been allocated for the renovation and essentially for the construction of Hospital No. 2. We will do that as well.”