Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 10
Trend:
The sharp decline in oil prices on world markets has not affected the dynamic development of Azerbaijan, said the country's President Ilham Aliyev.
He made the remarks Apr. 10 at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the social and economic development in the first quarter of 2015 and the tasks ahead.
The president said the results of the first quarter of 2015 were positive, and the GDP grew by over five percent in this period.
He added that a dynamic development was ensured in Azerbaijan, and in the last three months, the non-oil sector grew by over seven percent, industrial production by four percent, and agriculture by three percent.
Stressing that all this was possible as a result of a thought-out economic policy that has been pursued in the country in recent years, President Aliyev said the sharp drop in oil prices in the world has had no impact on the overall dynamic development.
He said the inflation in Azerbaijan remains at a low level, the consumer market is being fully controlled, and money income of the population totalled 5.3 percent.
The president noted that in the first quarter, the positive trend continued in the country's regions and about 30,000 new jobs were created, adding that the solution of social issues in Azerbaijan is still in focus.
President Aliyev went on to add that Azerbaijan's international authority is growing, the country has become a valuable and reliable member of the international community, noting that very flexible and active foreign policy is pursued.
Thanks to this, the country lived through the recent regional crises, without any losses, he added.
He underscored that Azerbaijan is today known as a country enjoying great respect at international scope.
The president said his numerous visits since the beginning of this year to foreign countries have strengthened Azerbaijan's international position, and then spoke about the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
President Aliyev said Armenia doesn't want peace, trying to keep the status quo unchanged, and this is exactly why this conflict hasn't been settled.
He also stressed that during the meetings, held last year with the participation of the heads of states co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group, Armenia always acted insincerely, was not interested in resolving the conflict, and continues the occupation of Azerbaijani territories.
President Aliyev once again said the conflict should be resolved within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and international legal norms, and it is necessary to put an end to double standards.
The president also touched upon two important events that took place in the first quarter - holding a meeting of the Advisory Board of the Southern Gas Corridor in Baku, and laying a foundation for TANAP in March in Kars, Turkey.
President Aliyev also spoke about the issue of the Azerbaijani manat's rate, noting that the measures taken in this area are economically efficient.
In conclusion, the president said the preparations for the First European Games are going on at a high level, a number of sports facilities are ready for the use, and that a media village was created along with the village of athletes.
He added that a beautification work is underway in the capital, and a new line of the boulevard was constructed.
President Aliyev expressed confidence that all the planned issues will be solved by late this year.