BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 1. Azerbaijan has allocated more than 19 billion manats for the restoration of Karabakh and East Zangezur, and the implementation of the Great Return Program will continue to be a priority for us, said President Ilham Aliyev in his address on the occasion of the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day and New Year, TurkicWorld reports.
"Nevertheless, the restoration of Karabakh and East Zangezur is progressing successfully. About 10,000 former internally displaced persons have already returned to these lands. The best conditions have been created for them. In general, more than 30,000 people live and work in liberated territories – both in the newly opened enterprises and social facilities, and in construction. Next year, of course, the number of citizens who will return there will increase significantly. I must also note that from 2021 to the present, Azerbaijan has allocated more than 19 billion manats for the restoration of Karabakh and East Zangezur, and the implementation of the Great Return Program will continue to be a priority for us.
Of course, our economy must develop in order to accomplish all these tasks. There are good results here too. This year, the gross domestic product grew by more than 4 percent, the non-oil sector expanded by more than 6 percent, and the non-oil industrial sector saw an increase of over 7 percent. We have increased our foreign exchange reserves and currently have more than 72 billion dollars in foreign exchange reserves. At the same time, we have also reduced our foreign debt. Today, Azerbaijan's foreign debt is only 5.2 billion dollars. In other words, our foreign exchange reserves exceed our foreign debt 14 times. If there is any developed country with figures close to these, show them to me. Therefore, in addition to all this work—such as the restoration of Karabakh and East Zangezur, the strengthening of our military power, and the implementation of social projects—we have also achieved these significant macroeconomic figures. We have both reduced our debt and increased our reserves, and this allows us the opportunity to implement extensive social programs. I can say that since 2019, four social package projects and programs have been implemented. A fifth package will be implemented next year. The funds allocated and to be allocated for these projects will constitute 7.5 billion manats," President Ilham Aliyev said.
