Azernews.Az

By Sabina Mammadli

Agricultural work has been carried out on 50,000 hectares of liberated lands of Azerbaijan, Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov said.

The remarks were made at a business forum in Azerbaijan’s Shusha dedicated to the restoration and development of the Karabakh region.

Highlighting the large-scale construction and restoration work in Karabakh, Karimov stressed that the whole work is being carried out on the basis of ‘green’ technologies.

“This region has a huge agricultural potential. The liberation of lands has created new opportunities for the restoration and development of agricultural projects. In Kalbajar and Lachin, work is underway to create livestock potential,” the minister added.

The minister added that the foundation of the first agricultural park has been laid in Zangilan.

"About 4,000 heads of cattle will be kept and agricultural work will be carried out there," he explained.

Further, the minister also noted that the necessary infrastructure is being created to expand the investment potential of this region.

At the same event, Secretary-General of the Organization of Turkic States Bahgdad Amreyev noted that Karabakh will play an important role as a regional transport hub.

Amreyev emphasized the importance of the forum being held in Shusha for the first time, as the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Karabakh region are significant not only for Azerbaijan, given the new geopolitical reality, but also with the region’s key role in the transport corridor from China to Europe.

“That is, this forum is being held not only to attract our businessmen to participate in the implementation of projects in Karabakh but also to highlight the importance of the Zangazur corridor, once it is fully commissioned," he said.

Further, he pointed out that OTS not only encourages businessmen to work together but creates many favorable conditions for them. The joint work of businessmen brings the Turkic people together, and strengthens integration, which is the ultimate goal of the Organization, he added.

"The organization has established a joint chamber of commerce and industry, which is already operating and creating favorable conditions for convenient communication between businessmen. Important work on the creation of a joint investment fund with an initial capital of $500 million to support the organization's joint projects is also being completed. By contributing initial capital, OTS first of all strives to support small and medium-sized businesses," he noted.

Moreover, Azerbaijani President’s Special Representative in Shusha Aydin Karimov shared that Azerbaijan's Shusha city is fully supplied with electricity.

He noted that the construction of new substations continues and work is underway to lay underground lines. He added that last year work on building boiler houses was kicked off, as well as seven such facilities have already been commissioned. He noted that work is also underway to build and restore roads.

Karimov also noted that work has begun on the design of housing complexes.

"Work is underway in Shusha to build a five-star hotel and other facilities. The housing complex, which is expected to be commissioned at the end of 2023, has about 450 apartments, and after its commissioning, the first residents of the city will be accepted," the official further said.

Besides, after the approval of the master plan for the restoration of the city, international companies are expected to participate in the restoration work. In this regard, he noted that the Dashalty village [nearby Shusha] has great tourism potential and work is already underway to design this village as a tourist zone.

Then, Karimov highlighted that Azerbaijan started restoration of historical facilities in Shusha city, such as mosques, museums, and memorable places.

"Azerbaijan has already restored four historical and cultural facilities of Shusha city. A plan for the restoration of the city has already been prepared and its confirmation is expected by the president," Karimov added.

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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl

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