(MENAFN- Trend News Agency ) Baku, Azerbaijan, March 20
By Gulgiz Muradova - Trend:
The people of Azerbaijan enjoy freedom, religious tolerance, economic growth and political stability, Rob Sobhani, director general of the Caspian Group Holdings, told Trend.
He said that President Ilham Aliyev presides over an economy that has seen an average of 12 percent growth over the past 10 years, which is truly remarkable.
"In addition, President Aliyev has been able to reduce overall poverty in Azerbaijan, which means a growing middle class and more purchasing power for the average citizens of Azerbaijan. According to the World Bank, the level of poverty in Azerbaijan is now down to 6 percent," he said, reminding that the poverty figure for neighboring Armenia is 29.8 percent and in Iran it is 44 percent, according to the World Bank.
Azerbaijan is getting ready to host presidential election on April 11, and Sobhani believes the current president will be re-elected.
The ruling party and its leader, Ilham Aliyev, have delivered on all their promises, and for these reasons President Aliyev will get a majority of his countrymen's votes, he said.
Sobhani further stressed that the situation in Azerbaijan before the April 11 election speaks of a country that is confident, stable, prosperous and moving forward.
"It is important to point out that these positive features did not happen overnight. The stability we see today in Azerbaijan is thanks to the wise leadership of both national leader Heydar Aliyev and current President Ilham Aliyev. The people of Azerbaijan enjoy these positive features thanks to the policies advocated by the leadership of Azerbaijan," he said.
Sobhani believes that President Aliyev's reform programs in the economic and political arenas are the main reasons why he will be re-elected with a comfortable margin.
"Going back to the days when he was the Vice-President of the State Oil Company, President Aliyev was busy working for the people of Azerbaijan to ensure that his country gets the best deals from its partnerships with foreign oil companies. These wise decisions by Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation for a strong and stable economy for Azerbaijan," he noted.
President Aliyev's focus on fighting poverty so that all Azerbaijanis enjoy a good life is also important to take into consideration, according to Sobhani.
"I would like to remind that Azerbaijan went through very difficult times in the early days of its independence, and it was only because the late President Heydar Aliyev and then his able son Ilham Aliyev stabilized the country that foreign investment found its way to Azerbaijan," he said.
Follow Trend on Telegram. Only most interesting and important news
MENAFN2003201801870000ID1096621246
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.