“Yesterday we all witnessed another very important event in the country’s socio-political life. President Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation of the ALAT Free Economic Zone. Of course, this important event is of an economic nature. But at the same time, the creation of the ALAT Free Economic Zone has a political meaning by demonstrating once again to the whole world the confident progress of Azerbaijan towards further successes. The head of state gave an interview to Azerbaijani television after the groundbreaking ceremony and emphasized this point: “our policy is based on the idea of creating this zone.” Indeed, we must say unequivocally that today, on the basis of all the achievements and achievements of Azerbaijan in any sphere, there is a thought-out, pragmatic policy pursued by the president of the country Mr. Ilham Aliyev.”
MP, Chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan Sattar Mohbaliyev, expressed this opinion.
The Member of Parliament said that the creation of the ALAT Free Economic Zone is of great importance in terms of increasing the specific weight of foreign investments in the non-oil sector in Azerbaijan. According to Sattar Mahbaliyev, the creation of this zone will give a strong impetus to the development of the non-oil sector: “today, the development of the non-oil sector in Azerbaijan occurs either directly through public investment or through investment by local companies. The president also noted that foreign companies tend to invest more in the energy sector. Therefore, the creation of a Free Economic Zone will certainly serve the development of the non-oil sector of our economy. On the other hand, by giving the idea of creating a Free Economic Zone, the head of state, as always, considered the issue of ensuring the well-being of citizens. Thus, the infrastructure to be created in this zone will be attractive to investors, new technologies will come to us, new jobs will be created and the salaries of Azerbaijani citizens will be high. The export opportunities of the non-oil sector will also expand with the increase in the production of competitive products. One of the goals of the idea is to bring new dynamics to the development of ALAT settlement and surrounding areas. Thus, there are large empty lands on the territory of ALAT settlement, and the absolute majority of these lands are unsuitable for agriculture. As the Free Economic Zone gradually forms, it will accelerate the development of the region. In turn, the dynamics of the development of the region will have a positive impact on the overall development of our economy.”
Then Sattar Mohbaliyev noted that today Azerbaijan, as one of the safest and most stable countries in the world, is quite attractive for foreign investors: “Azerbaijan, along with its historic victory in the Great Patriotic War, ensured both its territorial integrity and Nagorno-Karabakh. Of course, even the slightest possibility of a military conflict may be enough for foreign investors to leave any region. Even if all other economic and financial conditions are attractive, ensuring investment security is one of the most important issues. From this point of view, today the whole world recognizes Azerbaijan as a reliable partner. Azerbaijan has shown its strength in the course of the Great Patriotic War, and there is no point in worrying foreign investors in this regard. On the other hand, the existing socio-political stability in our country is one of the main conditions for every investor. The point is that the exclusion of military conflicts alone is not enough to ensure the security of investments. Investments may also be at risk of loss due to domestic instability. Therefore, no company invests in countries with instability. From this point of view, Azerbaijan today has a very attractive environment for foreign investors. The socio-political stability and unity of the people and power that exist in our country today are not observed in any country in the world. The policy of national solidarity implemented on the initiative and under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and the national unity formed on this basis and strengthened in recent years are the main factors ensuring Azerbaijan’s brilliant victory in the Great Patriotic War, and the whole world knows this fact. As our President said, all these factors and, of course, the victory we won in the Second Karabakh War and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have already created a new situation. The establishment of long-term peace and stability in the region, as well as the fact that Azerbaijan is the most reliable guarantor of this peace, is as clear as day for investors. The presence of all these factors, of course, will attract foreign investors to the Alat Free Economic Zone, and this great project will make a great contribution to the economic development of Azerbaijan. “