Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.3
Abbas Akhundov - Trend:
The WB Regional Director for the South Caucasus Henry Kerali will arrive in Baku in January to discuss the new strategy of the World Bank (WB) on operations in Azerbaijan, the head of Bank's Baku office Larisa Leshchenko told Trend on Dec.3.
"We plan to initiate consultations in January and will hold discussions with the government, the public and the private sector. The dialogue will be held in the capital and in the regions. We want to understand what new strategic directions will be reflected in the document," Larisa Leshchenko said. "The next calendar year will be devoted to the preparation of the new strategy. We will start work in January and are likely to complete it by November-December next year."
The new strategy will cover both current activities and new areas.
As part of its strategy, the World Bank is ready to allocate funding for the new Azerbaijan Rural Investment project (AzRIP-3). The second AzRIP-2 project entered into force in late 2012.
The bank noted a large demand for financing land reclamation and irrigation sectors, and expressed its readiness to work in these areas.
The development of alternative energy sources, reform of higher education with an emphasis on vocational- technical education as well as health care financing system may become new directions.
Since Azerbaijan joined the World Bank in 1992, the bank has financed over 50 projects worth more than three billion dollars.
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