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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| backgrounder pdf: Who’s Who in the Azerbaijani Opposition |
| 2008-11-22 |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #1 Very informative. If you assumed that Azerbaijan is just another impoverished Muslim country in caucasus, guess again: "Azerbaijan is experiencing a unique period in its history. Not only is it independent for the second time but it is for the first time stable, prosperous, and investing in its future. Indeed, the past 18 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of 15 newly independent republics in the territory of the empire have brought magnificent transformation for Azerbaijan from a poor, unstable, and chaotic country into an island of peace, stability, and prosperity in the sensitive region of the South Caucasus. The present regime in Azerbaijan is reaping big dividends from the hard geopolitical work done in the mid-1990s, namely: establishing a cease-fire with Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; signing oil contracts with Western multinational oil and gas companies; investing in new pipelines that bypass Russia and Iran; forging normal, working relations with all powers in the region; and stabilizing the country from within. Since 2003, these investments have started producing results, and billions of dollars in oil revenues started pouring into the country. The living conditions of people have improved significantly in comparison to the 1990s, and the country’s overall development seems to be on the right track. The Azeri government has been able to utilize oil revenues to further upgrade the country’s infrastructure. Given the current prices in the world markets for oil and gas, it is expected that Azerbaijan will generate more than $200 billion in revenues from energy projects. More than $10 billion has already been accumulated in the State Oil Fund and a significant amount of that money has been spent for social and infrastructure projects. More than 1600 new public schools were built in the past 5 years and more than 600 were repaired. New hospitals, sports facilities, culture houses, theaters, and parks have been built across the country. More than $1 billion has been invested in roads, bridges, and underpasses. New residential buildings are emerging in Baku and other cities every day. The Azeri economy has been expanding at a rate of 25-30% GDP growth annually. Three years ago the budget of Azerbaijani government was approximately $3 billion. In 2008 it reached $12 billion. Poverty has been reduced from 50% to 16%, and unemployment has virtually disappeared. On the streets of Baku, one increasingly comes across migrant workers from China and India. Not only is Azerbaijan the fastest growing economy in the world, but it is also the one undergoing the most significant reforms: indeed, according to the World Bank’s “Doing Business 2008” report, Azerbaijan made significant improvements in its business climate, jumping a record 66 points in the report’s rankings." |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2008-11-22 15:21 |