BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 27. Azerbaijan is currently undertaking one of the most complex and ambitious reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in contemporary history, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said making a statement in video format at 11th session of World Urban Forum, Trend reports.
"Despite the three-decades-long Armenian occupation, Azerbaijan is keen to turn the page of war, normalize the relations and sign a peace agreement with Armenia, based on mutual recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other. Azerbaijan presented 5 basic principles for peace negotiations and Armenia accepted them. We believe that a peace agreement would turn our region into a region of peace and cooperation.
Azerbaijan is currently undertaking one of the most complex and ambitious reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in contemporary history.
The process of reconstruction starts with demining. The massive mine contamination is the main challenge ahead of us and slows down reconstruction and return of internally displaced persons. According to initial estimations, during the times of occupation, Armenia planted more than one million landmines. Since the end of the Patriotic War in November 2020, more than 220 Azerbaijani citizens were killed or severely injured as a result of landmine explosions.
Azerbaijan is applying modern urban planning and utilizing the concepts of “green energy” and “zero emissions” in the liberated territories. For 30 years our internally displaced persons suffered from Armenian occupation and were deprived of their homelands," the head of state said.