Azerbaijan Takes Lead In Changing S Caucasus Into World's Safest Region

(MENAFN- AzerNews)

Fatime Letifova Read more

The end of the Garabagh conflict was a real turning point forthe entire Caucasus region. The start of the Great Return to theliberated territories already indicates great confidence andprospects for the future.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady MehribanAliyeva participated in the inauguration of the first residentialcomplex in Shusha and met the first residents who moved to thecity.

Note that, at one time Shusha and other Garabagh regions wereonce under Armenian occupation. As a result of the greatestchallenge of the glorious Azerbaijani army and SupremeCommander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, residents of Shusha are returningto their homeland today.

In 2020, the foundation of a new era was laid in the history ofAzerbaijan. Addressing the Azerbaijani nation on November 8 of thesame year, President Ilham Aliyev said that Shusha would reviveagain, and regain its former beauty and grandeur. Today,restoration and repair works are being carried out in Shusha, roadsare being built, and many infrastructure projects are beingimplemented. It should be noted that 2.2 billion manats wereallocated for these purposes in the 2021 state budget.

Undoubtedly, Azerbaijanis who have been separated from theirhomeland for many years are also happy to return to Garabagh andexpress their gratitude to the president and Azerbaijanəstriumphant army.

It should be noted that the works carried out in Garabagh arenot only related to restoration and construction. The ancient landsof Azerbaijan attract the interest of many countries, where manyprojects in the fields of green energy, education, agriculture, andculture are presented and implemented.

Thus, to create electric power infrastructure in the liberatedterritories of Azerbaijan in 2021, a supply agreement in the fieldof mutual cooperation was signed between "Azerenerji" OJSC and theItalian company "Ansaldo Energia". According to the contract, theItalian company will provide equipment for four 110 kilovoltsubstations to be built in Agdam, Fuzuli, Kalbajar and Gubadliregions.

According to the memorandum of "Cultural and ScientificCooperation" signed between the "GOSB" technology park, whichsupports 130 technology companies operating in Turkiye, and theAzerbaijan Innovation Agency, a High Technologies Park is beingcreated in Garabagh.

The support shown by Western countries, especially GreatBritain, to the demining issue in Garabagh is also undeniable.

As a result of nearly 30 years of Armenian occupation,Azerbaijan is facing huge challenges such as mines and explosiveremnants of war. Azerbaijan is among the countries most polluted bymines in the world. There are 1.5 million mines and explosiveremnants in the country. It covers 12 percent of the territory ofAzerbaijan. This poses a serious risk to civilians and hinderssocio-economic development.

It should be noted that from the end of the war in 2020 to April27 of this year, 212 cases of mine explosions occurred, as a resultof which 356 people, including children and women, became victimsof these explosions. These incidents show that there is an urgentneed to clear the areas of mines and provide assistance to thevictims. In total, the number of mine victims in Azerbaijan duringthe last 30 years is 3435.

The hard work and effort of Azerbaijan National Agency for MineAction (ANAMA) employees in this field are very important. Itshould be remembered that last year, ANAMA, the European Union, andUNDP launched a demining project to help save lives and enableinternally displaced persons to return home. The project covered 20villages and had 33,604 families as direct beneficiaries. Theproject also established the first female teams in Azerbaijan tocarry out demining operations, which is traditionally considered amale occupation.

Eighteen wholehearted and strong Azerbaijani female deminersreceived their accreditation certificates successfully. Through thetheoretical and practical training, the teams of female deminersacquired the foundational knowledge, necessary skills, and therequired code of conduct to recognize, detect, and mark mines andunexplosive ordnance, and to provide first aid.

The training series was conducted by the international expertsof the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) non-governmentalorganization.

All these processes show that Garabagh is the center ofattention of the countries of the world in addition toAzerbaijan.

The processes listed above are a very small part of the stepstowards reconstruction and development. Undoubtedly, todayAzerbaijan takes a leading position in the South Caucasus with itspeace-oriented steps, projects, and global cooperation.

Baku also strives to completely end the Azerbaijan-Armeniaconflict, as well as to promote the peace process that onlypromises the safest future for the South Caucasus.

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