Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan is confidently progressing toward the noble goals it has set for itself.

The country has made significant progress in recent years under President Ilham Aliyev’s leadership, achieving high results in the socio-economic sphere. At the same time, Azerbaijan's international standing has improved significantly, cementing its position as the region's leader in the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan has set a new agenda for the region, particularly following its brilliant victory in the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020.

The successes achieved in the first three months of this year were long-term. The information provided at the meeting on the results of the first quarter of this year, chaired by President Ilham Aliyev on April 12, gives grounds to say that Azerbaijan is reaching all of its goals.

The primary reason for this is the president's successful implementation of a pragmatic policy. President Ilham Aliyev detailed his views on our country's socioeconomic indicators, its place and role in the international relations system, regional processes, and construction work in the liberated territories during the meeting.

The work completed gives reason to believe that all of the tasks ahead have been completed during this time period.

Active cooperation with international organizations was maintained during the reported period, and the world's leading international organizations are embracing the new realities created by Azerbaijan in the region.

As a result of President Ilham Aliyev's well-thought-out policy, the country's development has been ensured against the backdrop of both the pandemic and the complex processes taking place in the neighboring regions.

As a result, the GDP increased by more than 6 percent in the first quarter of the year. This figure is higher than 10 percent in our non-oil economy and higher than 18 percent in non-oil industrial production.

Revenues from the state budget exceeded expectations by 6.3 percent, or AZN 418 million, in the first quarter. As a result, the state budget revenue totaled AZN 7.1 billion.

The majority of the over-performance of the State Tax Service's forecasts, i.e. approximately 90 percent, is due to an increase in non-oil sector revenues. In general, non-oil revenues accounted for more than 80 percent of total revenues and more than 80 percent of total tax revenues in the first quarter.

These findings are undeniably encouraging, both during the pandemic and in the context of the world's complex geopolitical processes.

The achievements are based on the development concept defined by the head of state. It should also be noted that the government has always prioritized strengthening the population's social protection. Salaries, pensions, and benefits are all rising. Care for the families of martyrs, war disabled, and participants, in particular, is growing all the time.

During the meeting, the president also discussed Azerbaijan's growing role in the international arena. The new environment of security and cooperation in the South Caucasus region is currently being formed on the basis of Azerbaijan's geopolitical realities, and the processes are being regulated in accordance with Baku's will.

This is the result of President Ilham Aliyev's steadfast national-interest policy. Azerbaijan has accepted the reality of the conflict's end and the beginning of a new phase, necessitating the development of new strategic approaches.

As a result, even after the 44-day war, foreign centers that were attempting to create an artificial agenda and image of the alleged existence of the conflict, as well as commit political and information provocations, were forced to abandon their efforts.

The views of the head of state on the OSCE Minsk Group also indicate that the Minsk Group has already been consigned to the annals of history.

One of the most important aspects of the meeting was to share information about the magnificent construction work that has been done in our liberated territories.

The president announced the good news of the Great Return in this manner. The Azerbaijani people believe that the Azerbaijani state will soon transform Karabakh and East Zangazur into paradise. In general, the new realities created by our state open up new possibilities for the South Caucasus development.

To take advantage of these opportunities, Armenia must properly assess the prospects for peace and respond appropriately to Azerbaijan's challenges, including not impeding the implementation of the Zangazur corridor.

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