(from an interview with economist Asiman Guliyev in the Zerkalo newspaper)
In the territories seized by the Armenian separatists, there were 2,661 km of roads, where 883 km are highways of national importance and 1,778 km of roads of local importance. The infrastructure also includes 90 road bridges. Remember that roads are the circulatory system of a resurgent economy. They will deliver to the districts and villages of the Garabagh region everything necessary to recreate the energy infrastructure, telephone communications, the Internet, and the construction of vital infrastructure projects, which will serve as the beginning of the revival of normal life to these lands.
The economic recovery process will take place in two directions - that is, the reconstruction of infrastructure and the creation of jobs for people who will return to their homelands. In this case, the state should fulfil two main tasks - firstly, to recreate a favourable infrastructure, mainly transport, the restoration of electricity, gas and water supply, revive trading networks, the monetary system, etc. And secondly, create the conditions for living, build housing, provide people with jobs, and organise the conditions for the development of agriculture and industrial enterprises.
At the moment, we have enough funds in our budget and reserves to start a phased resettlement of the local population, but in the future we will have to look for ways of financing it. Undoubtedly, our business will invest in the economy of the liberated lands, since the construction of housing stock, orders for the laying of roads and other infrastructure are good opportunities and profits for the business community. And new business ideas will follow after big earnings. In addition, now we have serious human and personnel potential.
Thirty years ago, 800,000 refugees left this region, and a natural process of population growth was going on. Today the level of the indigenous population has reached 1,250,000 people. These are the labour resources necessary, among other things, for the economic recovery, development of mineral deposits, quarries and development of mineral springs - up to 40% of the mineral waters are located in the Garabagh region. Over 160 deposits of various minerals are concentrated here. The Kelbajar, Lachyn, Tartar and Aghdam regions are rich in gold, silver, copper, molybdenum and mercury. Iron and chromium deposits are located in the Jabrayil, Kelbajar and Lachyn regions. There are many sulfur reserves in the occupied part of the country. The liberated land is rich in deposits of gravel, sand, clay and other resources. All this presents opportunities for the development of domestic production and strengthening of the country’s export positions. The process will be phased, focused both on the domestic market and exports.
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