12 April Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended a ceremony to lay a foundation of a new large hospital in Balakan. 4-strorey hospital with the total area of 14,000 sq m can accommodate 235 patients. It will be built at the expense of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), which is to allot $13m for the construction ($10m) and equipment ($3m).
The President stated to the ceremony that the hospital was one of the biggest and advanced one built in Azerbaijan over the past few years. This year it is planned to commission the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which will increase the economic growth. Our key task is to allow every citizen of Azerbaijan to feel this growth, the head of state added.
Aliyev noted that the government attaches great importance to the development of non-oil sector and major role here is taken by the agriculture with consideration of the fact that 50% of population is currently residing in rural areas. He reminded that this year $100m of the budget assignments will be spent on crediting entrepreneurs.
The President underlined the importance of the development of tourism in the region, for which necessary infrastructure, including the construction of roads and airport in Zakatala, is being created.