Four months have passed since the signing of the ceasefire agreement that ended the Second Karabakh War, on November 9, 2020. Armenia is now embroiled in a political crisis because of the fallout from its decisive defeat in that conflict, while the status of Karabakh remains a topic of political dispute between the hitherto warring parties. Even so, Azerbaijan has already started making plans for the future of its partially regained western region. On March 9, the Azerbaijani government reportedly decided on locations for constructing solar and wind power plants in six districts of Karabakh (Report.az, March 9). This is not the first time Baku has taken practical steps regarding its renewable energy plans for the area. Indeed, on February 15, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the first mini-hydropower plant in the Lachin district village of Gulebird (Aztv.az, February 15).
Read more: Azerbaijani Leadership Envisages ‘Smart City’ Concepts for Karabakh
The restoration and development of the newly liberated territories is the top priority for the government of Azerbaijan. It implies wide participation of private and state-owned companies, as well as foreign investors in the process. Currently, Azerbaijan is developing a concept of restoration and reconstruction of its liberated territories, which includes attracting foreign investors to the development of these territories.
On January 19, the institute of the special representative in the liberated territories was set up. In an online meeting, President Ilham Aliyev named his first special representative for the newly liberated historical city of Shusha. “The first appointment is to Shusha District and this is absolutely natural. Susa has a special place in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people. Shusha is the crown of Karabakh,” the president told his representative for Shusha, Aydin Karimov, who was earlier dispatched to the city to inspect and analyse the situation on the scene.
Read more: Azerbaijan to build ‘smart cities’ in liberated regions
Following the decree of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev ‘On some measures in the field of providing electronic services of state bodies’, the Electronic Water Portal of Azersu OJSC (http://e-su.az) has been launched, the company told Trend.
“This system is used for the first time in the housing sector,” said Emil Ahmadov, Head of the electronic management and modern technologies department of Azersu OJSC.
The Azerbaijani government is considering a smart city concept for new urban planning projects in the Karabakh region. President Ilham Aliyev said technology would be a key element in the rebuilding of territories in the region, which were liberated from Armenian occupation last year.
"Cities and villages to be established in the liberated areas should be based on the concept of a "smart-city" and "smart-village". It would be best if you planned this work now to use the world's most advanced technologies in urban planning and project implementation," President Aliyev said Tuesday in a virtual reception of the country's newly appointed minister of transport, communications and high technologies, President.Az reports.
Read more: Azerbaijan Mulls Smart City Concept For Rebuilding of Liberated Territories
Azerbaijan’s banking sector can be assessed as healthy in many indicators, Vusal Gasimli, executive director of Azerbaijan’s Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication, said at the IV International Banking Forum in Baku, Trend reports Nov. 6 from the event.
Gasimli noted that assessment of capitalization, liquidity, capital adequacy and the loan portfolio of Azerbaijani banks meets most international standards.
Read more: Azerbaijan's achievements in digitalization named at International Banking Forum in Baku