BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 12. There must be a connection between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and this is Armenia's obligation, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during a meeting dedicated to the results of the first quarter of 2022, Trend reports.
"We need to talk about some work to be done before the end of this year. I will talk only about the work to be done in Karabakh and East Zangazur and about our plans. Because it would take a long time if I also talk about the work to be done throughout the country. As a result of the implementation of the investment program in the country as a whole, the work is going according to plan, and citizens in each region are seeing that. Many projects are being implemented on the basis of appeals from citizens. People address issues of concern to me, to the Presidential Administration, to the government, to various government agencies, and every appeal is carefully reviewed. Therefore, when developing the investment program, of course, preference is given to proposals from the ground.
As for the work in Karabakh and East Zangazur, no-one lives there yet. This is why we must and we do the work there in a centralized manner. Last year, large-scale landscaping and construction work was launched and major infrastructure projects were implemented. If I list them all today, it would take a long time.
I would like to reiterate my instructions on the work to be done before the end of this year and in the next two years. The first is related to the master plans of cities. At present, the master plans of Aghdam and Fuzuli have been approved and work has begun on the basis of these master plans. I have already got acquainted with the progress of work. The master plans of other cities should be approved soon. Master plans of Shusha, Jabrayil, Kalbajar, Zangilan, Gubadli, Hadrut and Sugovushan settlements should be prepared and approved this year, and then additions should be made to our investment program for Karabakh and East Zangazur. As it was noted here, a total of 2.2 billion manats is envisaged. But a little more than 300 million manats was used in the first quarter. Of course, after the master plans have been approved, we will only deal with specific issues. First of all, I mean the construction of residential buildings. Because other infrastructure projects are also being implemented. To speed up the demining process, about 100 million manats is envisaged in the state budget for this year, and this is a priority for us. Because without resolving this issue, we cannot place people in those areas. But once we are sure that those areas have been cleared of mines, we can start placing our citizens there.
As I mentioned earlier, new equipment is being purchased, including the most modern equipment, drones and other modern devices. There is, of course, a great need for the support of international experts. We now have three agencies – ANAMA, units of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Emergency Situations – engaged in demining. Of course, the issue of involving local companies was discussed some time ago, and as far as I know, local companies are also involved in this work. Because this initiative will give an impetus to the development of entrepreneurship – unfortunately, the demining process in our country will take a long time. At the same time, local companies can gain experience and provide their services here. As for foreign companies, their offers, of course, have not been quite acceptable to us in terms of the price. Because there is a huge difference between the prices offered by local companies and those charged by foreign companies. Therefore, I think that the more local companies are established along with the three government agencies, the better. Also, the purchase of the most modern machines and mechanisms through the state must be provided.
Work on arranging electricity supply will be continued in the liberated areas this year. Four 20-megawatt hydroelectric power stations were built on the liberated lands last year. Two are in Sugovushan, one in Gulabird village of Lachin district, and one on the Lev river in Kalbajar district. When the contemptible enemy left our lands, they destroyed and set on fire more than 30 power plants, and the ruins of those stations are still there. Everyone can see that, especially in Kalbajar and Lachin districts. We started the restoration of those stations last year. This year, five stations will be restored by AzerEnergy, and the capacity of these stations will be 27 megawatts. However, it would be better if the remaining stations were restored and operated by entrepreneurs afterwards. Because, of course, the state can take on this work too, but there are many other costs of the state – this is first. Secondly, it can be a good investment for entrepreneurs. If we take into account that all the liberated regions are now connected to other regions of Azerbaijan by power lines, the energy produced there will be included in the overall system. I think it can be very attractive for entrepreneurs. I am aware that the Ministry of Economy and the Presidential Administration are engaged in this work and some suggestions have been made. I think that proposals should be made for each station, and perhaps entrepreneurs will get more enthusiastic after this meeting hearing this information from me. It would be good to hold a special presentation for entrepreneurs interested in this issue regarding the location of the remaining stations. I am talking not just about the stations destroyed by the Armenians. At present, foreign companies are applying to us for the construction of wind farms, especially in Kalbajar and Lachin districts. If this is of interest to foreign companies, it means there will be a profit. We must also involve local companies, either together with foreign companies or separately. The potential of solar power plants in Jabrayil and Zangilan districts is extremely high. So we must make the best use of all of them. We need to increase the share of renewable energy in our total energy balance by 30 percent. I issued this instruction earlier and we may reach an even higher figure in the future. Also, we can save natural gas and export it at current high prices.
As I mentioned earlier, there are already lines connecting all regions. Nine power substations were built on liberated lands last year. This is a very good indicator. At the same time, power lines were laid from Dashkasan, which has the most difficult natural terrain, across the Kalbajar mountains – from Dashkasan to Kalbajar. The height of the mountains there is 3,500 meters, and we were able to do it in difficult and challenging difficult conditions, in the winter months. AzerEnergy specialists deserve high praise. This year, work on the construction of “Khudafarin” and “Giz Galasi” Hydroelectric Power Stations should be accelerated. Negotiations are underway with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and I think they should also be accelerated so that we can reach an agreement here as soon as possible. Because the capacity of these stations will be very large – 240 megawatts, and after these stations are built, half of this capacity will reach us. We can take advantage of these opportunities. Negotiations are underway with BP on the construction of a solar power plant in Jabrayil. I do hope there is a result in the near future. I think this station will have tremendous potential.
In general, I have already voiced this figure. Renewable power plants in the liberated lands alone will have a capacity of more than 9,000 megawatts, and we are receiving numerous proposals from the world's leading companies. We have power lines with neighboring countries and our export opportunities are expanding. Last year, electricity exports increased even further in comparison with 2020. We have a unique potential here, both in the country and in the Caspian Sea. But I would like to draw your attention to this issue in the context of the work to be done in the liberated lands. At the same time, the construction of power lines from Zangilan via Iran to Nakhchivan and from there to the Iranian energy system and Turkey is also on the agenda.
Last month, Iran and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum on the construction of bridges, railway bridges. At the same time, the memorandum contains a clause on the construction of power lines. This is why we must start this work as soon as possible. In any case, concrete specific must be made this year on the work to be done in Azerbaijan. After the construction of lines from the Jabrayil substation to Zangilan and the final agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran, this line can be extended across Iran.
At the same time, the construction of road bridges and railway bridges is also on the agenda. Of course, this does not rule out the opening of the Zangazur corridor. The Zangazur corridor must be opened. An extensive exchange of views was held in Brussels on 6 April on both the railway and highway through Zangazur. A project to build a road through Iran to Nakhchivan and from there to world markets is already being prepared. I do hope that a groundbreaking ceremony can be held in the near future, and thus a new international transport corridor will be opened. In general, all our plans related to transport infrastructure have been implemented on time. If these major investments had not been made in the port, railways, airports, highways and other infrastructure, Azerbaijan would be deprived of these new opportunities today. Conversely, we can maximize our transport infrastructure now. New cargo ships and tankers are being built at the shipyard. In other words, all these are timely steps. If we hadn’t built the shipyard, we would not be able to use these opportunities today. We are not dependent on anyone now. We can build as many ferries, tankers and cargo ships as we want, and we will increase the volume of cargo transportation across the Caspian Sea this year and next year.
I should also note that a 60-kilometer section of the 100-kilometer Horadiz-Aghband railway is ready. So we are moving fast. A four- and six-lane highway are also being built.
I would like to draw your attention to one more issue. Armenia must also see that it cannot thwart our plans. If it doesn’t grant us passage through Zangazur, it will lose and, first of all, be in violation of the 10 November statement. Because the 10 November statement explicitly states that there must be a connection between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and this is Armenia's obligation. If they don’t want to fulfill his obligation, then we will not be under any obligation to fulfill our commitments either. They should know this and not procrastinate. We will achieve what we want sooner or later anyway. It is better for them to move a little faster. Otherwise, they will still find themselves at an impasse yet again.
As for other infrastructure projects, I can say that the construction of the Barda-Aghdam railway is continuing this year. It will probably be commissioned next year. At the same time, railways and railway stations should be built in Aghdam and Fuzuli. Project proposals must be submitted and reviewed by relevant authorities, and then submitted to me.
Another issue related to the transport infrastructure is the opening of Zangilan International Airport. This is also scheduled for this year. This will be the second international airport in the liberated lands after Fuzuli. As for the construction of Lachin International Airport, we plan to do so in 2024. There is a lot of work to be done, the mountains have to be blown up and the territory has to be cleared. There is extensive ground disturbance work to be done there. But it will definitely happen.
As for the construction of roads, the roads from Naftalan to the village of Talish should be fully operational this year. They will also connect Naftalan with Sugovushan. Both places are very conducive from the tourism perspective. Naftalan has already become an international tourist center and the distance to Sugovushan is very short. Tourism opportunities have recently started to be explored in Sugovushan – tourism, accommodation and sports. So this road is very important, and we will be able to easily reach Sugovushan from both the direction of Naftalan and Tartar. Therefore, this road should be commissioned this year.
A new alternative road bypassing Lachin is also scheduled for commissioning this year. This road is also very important, and we must put it into operation this year. The roads to be commissioned this year also include the Fuzuli-Hadrut highway, the Gubadli-Eyvazli village road and others. In particular, the construction of military roads will be continued in Kalbajar and Lachin districts. Last year alone, about 700 kilometers of roads were built in places where there had never been roads before. These roads have been built to the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.
It is now possible to serve comfortably at the border. I want to inform the Azerbaijani public about ongoing projects. With regard to automobile roads, work is powering ahead on the Barda-Aghdam highway. The Kalbajar-Lachin highway and a 4-kilometer tunnel are being built. A highway is being built from Khudafarin to Gubadli and from there to Lachin. The Jabrayil-Hadrut road is under construction. Victory Road has been opened, but the 4-lane Fuzuli-Shusha highway, as well as Horadiz-Aghband and Aghdam-Fuzuli roads, are also being built. One of the most important roads is the Togana-Kalbajar highway, because after this road and the 12-kilometer tunnel have been built, there will be no need to cross the Murov Pass. We will be able to easily pass through a tunnel. The construction of the Kalbajar-Istisu highway will be continued this year. This also has a great symbolic meaning. The Istisu sanatorium was very popular in Soviet times. Many residents from Azerbaijan itself and different parts of the Soviet Union would go there for rest. But when Mehriban Aliyeva and I were in Istisu, we saw an appalling sight. The sanatorium and water sources were completely destroyed. I said that this savage tribe had put its nose everywhere, even there. There were only ruins of the former sanatorium. So I decided that a new modern hotel should be built there. Currently, a hotel project for about 150-160 people is being prepared. We must also start producing medicinal drinking water. This instruction has also been issued. Initial contacts have been established now, and I think that the foundation can be laid for both important and symbolic projects this year. At the same time, I am confident that we will restore this historical justice and create an international resort there. Because after the commissioning of Lachin airport and the construction of the Toghana-Kalbajar highway and tunnel, it will be very convenient to come to Kalbajar from both Ganja and Lachin. I am sure that it will not be long before Istisu regains its glory. Drinking water sources are now being developed in the liberated lands. Among them, of course, the drinking water project of Shusha is a priority. Because people already live in Shusha. Residential buildings are also being built in Shusha and people will return there soon. Therefore, the Shusha drinking water project should be fully operational this year. While fleeing Shusha during the war, the Armenians blew up those water lines, committed yet another atrocity. During the occupation, they destroyed all 17 water springs in the city. These are the manifestations of savagery, which once again shows that Shusha has always been a foreign city to Armenians. They were always jealous of Shusha, cherishing an ugly dream of occupying Shusha one day. Unfortunately, in May 1992, Shusha was occupied as a result of national treason. Now we have returned to Shusha. We are the owners of Shusha and we will live there forever. The restoration of Shusha, along with all other liberated lands, is, of course, extremely important, and I think it should be a priority. The Azerbaijani people also appreciate this approach. Now restoration work is underway in Shusha, some historical sites have been restored, and I want to issue instructions on the work to be done this year. Historical sites are being restored, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation is restoring three mosques, and the construction of a new mosque will begin in the coming months. The location has already been determined and we have laid its foundation.
Other historical sites are also being restored. There are some proposals and sketches and, of course, we must restore the historical image of Shusha. No project that could damage the historical and architectural ensemble of the city should be carried out there. The foundation of a new TV tower has been laid in Shusha and the project will probably be launched in the near future. The required funds must be allocated. A school for 960 pupils and a 90-bed hospital are under construction. The foundation of these projects has been laid. The former post office building will house “ASAN service”, a DOST center and other facilities serving the population. The post office building will be overhauled while preserving its original architectural appearance.
I should also note that the foundation of a residential area has been laid in Shusha and the construction of houses has begun. A site has been selected for the construction of a new five-star hotel. It is a place where the self-styled entity wanted to build a so-called parliament. There was another devil's lair there as well. It disappeared during the war too. A project of a five-star hotel has been submitted to me now. It will be a beautiful building in accordance with the architecture of Shusha. The building of the mayor’s office is being overhauled and a new conference hall is being built right next to it. Because now there is no place to hold major events in Shusha now. Therefore, the conference hall will be adjacent to the mayor’s office, where the most prestigious events will be held in the near future.
The Kharibulbul festival will be held in Shusha again next month. Last year, the peoples living in Azerbaijan demonstrated their talent at this festival organized at the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. This time, we have invited folk bands from around the world. I already have preliminary information and don’t want to announce ahead of time, but I think it will be a very interesting festival. We have already revived this tradition. As you know, TURKSOY has declared Shusha “the cultural capital of the Turkic world” in 2023.
Irrigation projects in the liberated areas are planned for this year. The peculiarity of these projects is that preparations take a lot of time. Because the design work must be done correctly and places must be chosen correctly. Where will the canal be built? Where will the reservoir be built? These are time-consuming issues. This is why I am not pushing anyone. But at the same time, we must find the resources for the implementation of the already approved projects. It has been noted here that we are now implementing the budget with a surplus. In the first three months of this year, tax authorities collected more than 500 million manats in excess of the forecast and customs authorities have collected more than 200 million manats in taxes. So we have these opportunities now.
Irrigation will be one of the key factors in providing the food security for both the liberated lands and the country as a whole. These projects must be implemented in such a way that they are integrated into our overall irrigation system. It is necessary to pay serious attention to that because the natural terrain of the liberated lands, especially the Kalbajar, Lachin and Gubadli zone, is such that both irrigation water and drinking water can flow from there to Aghdam, Barda and other places. It must be integrated into our overall irrigation system. At the same time, we must use our rivers as a source of drinking water. During the occupation, our rivers were subjected to environmental terror, our rivers were under occupation, and the enemy deprived us of our own rivers. We could not use the water of the Tartar River. The Tartar River is one of the largest rivers in Azerbaijan. As the water was in the hands of the Armenians, they cut off the water in the summer, perpetrating ecological terror against us. In winter, they released it, causing floods.
A gas line in Karabakh where the Armenians live was in disrepair and there was no gas supply there for some time. They raise a hue and cry because of that, saying that Azerbaijan was causing a humanitarian catastrophe there. They had cut off gas supply for Nakhchivan for 15 years and kept it that way. The winter in Nakhchivan is harsher. The frost reaches minus 30 degrees. The people of Nakhchivan lived without gas from 1990 to 2005. Who deprived them of gas? The Armenians and the Armenian leadership, the Armenian state.
Did anyone, any organization or country raise its voice back then? No! They didn’t care. But when there was no gas in Khankendi for one week, there was no-one left in the world who wouldn’t call us – from America to Europe. First of all, there are countries in Europe where there is no gas. There is no gas there at all. Gas lines were never built there. I don’t want to name those countries. There are also countries where the level of gas supply is 3-5 percent. Is there a humanitarian catastrophe there? They have been without gas for one week, is this a humanitarian catastrophe? Then why wasn’t Nakhchivan a humanitarian catastrophe when it was deprived of gas for 15 years? This is the question. Is there an answer to this question? Yes! Double standards and discrimination. We have now restored gas supply and the Armenians must appreciate it. We have simply shown good will. If we didn't want to, we wouldn't restore it. Who can say anything to us? Did we have to restore it? No! We have restored it and hope that they will also understand that they are citizens of Azerbaijan, that they must and will live under the Azerbaijani flag. The sooner they understand this, the better for them. This is why we did that. We showed humanism. But we have never forgotten that Nakhchivan was left without gas. In 2005, according to an agreement with Iran, we supplied gas from Iran to Nakhchivan, laid a gas line from Astara to the Iranian Astara and are doing swap operations. Since then, Nakhchivan has been supplied with gas from Iran in this manner. But our gas was cut off, our water was cut off.
A special report was prepared and adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe a few years ago – a report on Armenia's environmental terror against Azerbaijan. Everything was clearly stated there. We were deprived of water from the Tartar River. However, when Heydar Aliyev built the Sugovushan reservoir, it was intended to irrigate 100,000 hectares of land in Barda, Aghdam, Goranboy, Yevlakh, Aghjabadi and other districts, and water flowed there. We have now returned to Sugovushan, restored the water and new canals will be built. Other rivers too – the people of Azerbaijan and indeed the rest of the world should know what the Armenians deprived us of. The Hakari River, one of the largest rivers, but we could not use its waters. The Bazarchay River. It is also called the Bargushad. The Lev, the Zabukh, the Tutgun, the Turgay, the Basitchay, the Gargarchay, the Guruchay, the Kondalanchay, the Okhchuchay rivers. All these rivers were occupied and mercilessly exploited by Armenians. The catastrophe of the Okhchuchay River is before the eyes of the world now. We have raised this issue. When we raised the issue, we were promised that the company that caused the disaster would come and clean it up. But a year has passed now, but we haven’t received any proposals. “Cronimet” is the company that contaminated the Okhchuchay River. It is a large company, and according to some foreign media, it had an illegal business relationship with representatives of Serzhik Sarkisyan’s former junta regime using corruption schemes. Together they operated the copper plant there. After that, the Armenian government bought this plant from those corrupt Armenians. But should “Cronimet”, the company responsible for this disaster, be held accountable or not? I said that the issue should be raised in international courts. I do not want to go into too much detail now. We will make a legal claim, preparations are underway and international experts have been involved. We will expose the Armenians all over the world for their atrocities. This also applies to foreign companies that have exploited our natural resources. Do the foreign companies that illegally exploited our gold and other fields believe that they will get away with that? They won’t! We will bring them to justice and disgrace them. “Cronimet”, which has turned the waters of the Okhchuchay River yellow, should come and clean it up. Or do they think that time has passed and we have forgotten everything? We have not forgotten and will not forget anything.
Notice how many reservoirs there were in the occupied territories. Khudafarin - the largest reservoir with a capacity of 1 billion 600 million cubic meters, Giz Galasi, Sugovushan, Khachin, Kondalanchay-1, Kondalanchay-2, Ashaghi Kondalanchay, Aghdamkand – these reservoirs were under occupation. We are restoring and will restore them. As for specific projects, I should also say what will be done in this area. The construction of the Hakarichay reservoir is on the agenda. It will be a new reservoir. The Sugovushan water reservoir and canal will be renovated. The length of the canal is 5.2 kilometers, and after the repairs, it will be possible to supply water to a larger area from Sugovushan. The Khachinchay reservoir and a 7-kilometer canal will be renovated. I should also note that the Khachinchay reservoir is right under Mount Farrukh, right next to the village of Farrukh, and the Armenian military positions were threatening the operation of this reservoir. In other words, it was a huge source of danger. Shots were repeatedly fired in the direction of Aghdam from there and other villages. I think there is no-one in the world who wouldn’t know of Mount Farrukh, and Mount Farrukh, the great mountain of Azerbaijan, is under our control now. The Azerbaijani flag flies there now. Mount Farrukh is of great importance for the safety of the Khachinchay and the use of this water. After that, we plan to renovate the Ashaghi Kondalanchay, Kondalanchay-1 and Kondalanchay-2 reservoirs. The reconstruction of the Tartarchay Left Bank canal, the water management complex of Aghdam, Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts, as well as identification of water sources is also on the agenda. Because the water sources of the Soviet era may not be suitable now for a number of reasons. Therefore, these complex measures are envisaged now, and the preparation of a project on the Bargushad reservoir must be completed this year. Based on a recently submitted proposal, a new reservoir is to be built in either Zangilan or Gubadli district, and the construction of these canals will allow us the opportunity to irrigate 10,000 hectares of land in the near future. I want to say again that all this work must be integrated into our common water management system.
As for other projects, I should say that residents of Aghali village will settle in Aghali already this year. This year, Aghali village will be opened. This is the first pilot project. The establishment of Dovletyarli village of Fuzuli district will begin this year. This is a project that covers several villages. There will be a larger settlement than Aghali village. In other liberated areas, village reconstruction projects are being prepared, so we will restore the villages in parallel with the cities.
The construction of three schools should be completed this year – school No. 1 in Aghdam, a school in Jabrayil and, as I mentioned, a school in Shusha. All three schools are intended for 960 pupils. Four hospitals are under construction. A hospital will be commissioned in Shusha this year. The construction of a 210-bed hospital in Aghdam and a 180-bed hospital in Fuzuli has already begun. The foundation of a Jabrayil hospital will be laid in the near future.
I have attended groundbreaking ceremonies of two industrial parks in Aghdam and Jabrayil districts, and the Minister of Economy recently reported to me on the work to be done there. The interest is great, local companies are very enthusiastic, and I am sure that the very large area intended for those parks may not even be sufficient in the near future, perhaps in a year or two, or in three years. Therefore, I am very glad that Azerbaijani entrepreneurs are joining this work with great enthusiasm. I understand that it may not be economically viable at the initial stage. But I view it as a civic duty on their part, so to speak, and I am glad that they responded to my call. At the same time, taking into account the potential of the liberated areas and transport routes, I am confident that every manat invested here will pay off.
In other words, we are taking comprehensive measures to return the former IDPs. Residential buildings, infrastructure, jobs, opportunities for agriculture, industrial parks – we will do this in a planned manner. This is a list of things to be done in the liberated lands this year alone, and I am sure that all our plans will be implemented. We will achieve what we want. The people of Azerbaijan will continue to be regularly informed about the work being done in the liberated lands.
Thank you," the head of state said.