BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 2
Trend:
Those who run after cheap popularity experience a bitter end, President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview to the Azerbaijani Television following viewing conditions created at the newly constructed building of Absheron District Central Hospital, Trend reports.
“I have a negative attitude to that. And I will tell you why. First of all, it is arbitrariness. Before making such statements, it is necessary to consult the leadership. I have made many important decisions regarding the restoration of the liberated lands. A headquarters has been established. The headquarters is led by the head of the Presidential Administration. I have said that all proposals and initiatives should be sent there. Because we cannot restore those lands and territories in accordance with people’s desires. Someone wants to open a representative office, someone else wants to open another institution. This is unacceptable. Therefore, there must be subordination in this issue. Making such statements in order to gain cheap popularity or set up an office, a new office, is completely unacceptable and should be stopped,” President Aliyev said.
“Secondly, we are doing all the work in a consistent manner. I have repeatedly told the people of Azerbaijan about the sequence of the work to be done, so that our people know what we will do. First of all, when will the former IDPs be able to return to those lands? First comes my clearance. This is a big process. The Armenians are not giving us maps of the minefields. That is why explosions are frequent now. We are now reshaping the Mine Action Agency, and it will be more efficient. But it will take some time," he said.
"Of course, mine clearance work must be completed. Then comes the assessment of the damage. If we do not assess the damage, we will not be able to succeed in the compensation lawsuit tomorrow. Therefore, first of all, local authorities should certify all the houses that have been destroyed. They must prepare video and photo materials, shoot drone footage, prepare protocols. Every building in every village and every city must have its own document. We will provide this information to the international companies involved. They will conduct their own research, conduct monitoring missions and assist us in the compensation lawsuit against Armenia. So this is the sequence,” the head of state said.
“After this work, infrastructure projects must be implemented. After all, how can anyone live there without the proper infrastructure? How can anyone live there without water, without light and without roads? After that, houses must be built. I have ordered that and our institutions are already working. Master plans of all the cities are being prepared, and not just master plans – there is a concept of a “smart city”, a concept of a “smart village”. It takes time," said the president.
"At the same time, everything should be done in a planned manner. Otherwise, someone will stand up and say that they will build something there, someone else will stand up and say that they will do this and that. Who are you? You should mind your own business. Again, those who run after cheap popularity experience a bitter end. This is first. Secondly, there is law and order in the country. No-one can act as they will. If someone forgets that, we will remind them. Of course, this will not be the end of the matter. Social facilities must also be built. In parallel with the construction of houses, social facilities such as hospitals, schools, cultural centers, sports facilities should be built. If we go and, as they say, build a school or a hospital somewhere, who will go there? There is no-one there,” Azerbaijani president said.
“As for Shusha, I have declared Shusha the cultural capital of our country. Everyone knows this and this decision has received a high assessment. Shusha will become one of the cultural capitals not only of Azerbaijan and the region, but also of the world perhaps. Shusha must have a very rich cultural life. Our compatriots who will live in Shusha must return there after all the work has been done. It is possible to say that Shusha is destroyed. All buildings have been destroyed," he noted.
"There is a former district authority building, where the hated junta built a nest for itself, a villa of the head of the junta and a few villas of criminal and corrupt Armenian officials. There are no other buildings there. There are also Khrushchev-era buildings that have long become outdated, and 2,000 Armenians lived in them. Does the Central Bank serve people to open a branch there? Who will it open a branch for? For him to go and sit there, to have a mansion there, to create conditions for himself, to spend money there? What good will that do to the people? None! And this is not all," he said.
"Other agencies have also contacted me. At least they were smart enough to contact me, and I told them to mind their own business. I can name them, I can list them, so that the people of Azerbaijan know. Azeravtoyol. Its manager has asked me to allow them to open a regional center of Azeravtoyol in Shusha. Why? If you need to build a road, go and do that. No-one builds a road at their own expense. The state allocates a budget. What is Azeravtoyol supposed to do in Shusha? He wants to create conditions for himself, to go and occupy a piece of land, to build a house for himself, to fence it, to put a guard and, yes, when he goes there, to sit there, so to speak, and admire the nature. AZAL. Its head has also appealed to me saying that they want to establish some kind of a branch of AZAL in Shusha. This is absurd in principle. I told him what is necessary – mind your own business. Then the State Customs Committee has asked for the establishment of the Karabakh Regional Center in Shusha. Is there a border in Shusha for a regional customs center to be established there?” the head of state said.