Moscow: Azerbaijan will rapidly restore the liberated Aghdam district, which will greatly benefit the development of the whole country’s economy, historian, employee of Russian St. Petersburg State University, a native of Aghdam Niyazi Niyazov told.
“It’s known that back in Soviet times, Aghdam was one of the key districts of Azerbaijan in economic terms. Its total population exceeded that one of the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region. Owing to the factor alone the resources of Aghdam gave great advantages to the economy of the country,” Niyazov said. “Today Aghdam is destroyed, but its restoration promises huge advantages for the Azerbaijani economy. The restoration and construction work will be an impetus for the development of large-scale industries, primarily related to the construction and service sectors, and all the factors will undoubtedly not only contribute to the speedy restoration of Aghdam, but will also give great benefits to the development of the economy of the whole of Azerbaijan,” he noted.
According to the expert, from the point of view of ensuring the region’s security, the possession of Aghdam means restoration of almost complete control over the Nagorno-Karabakh and the entire Plain Karabakh regions by Azerbaijan.
“Thanks to the railways and highways passing through it, Aghdam being the center of Karabakh, will play a key role in the further development of the region. Strengthening of Aghdam will demonstrate to the entire population of Karabakh, including its highland area, that the economic and political possibilities of Azerbaijan are enormous,” he pointed out.
“The initial task is to demine the district’s territory, neutralize all items, dangerous for life, left by the Armenian occupiers,” Niyazov stressed speaking about the stages of the Aghdam district’s restoration. “The next stage is the restoration of communication lines, railway transport, electricity supply, and building an effective infrastructure. It would be advisable to think in advance about eliminating the mistakes in the past urban planning processes associated with Aghdam, for example, to establish effective urban systems of treatment facilities.” As the expert further noted, most of the internally displaced persons from Aghdam and their descendants want to return to their native land. “First it’s necessary to create conditions for their involvement in construction work. Then the role of the state will be to create necessary infrastructure for the successful life of people – we are talking about such areas as the education system, health care, etc. –Agencies
