Yeugeny Krishtalyev exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
By the end of the year, the plan of development of the country for the period to 2020 will be adopted in Azerbaijan. It presents ambitious and promising ideas on doubling GDP and turning Azerbaijan into a modern post-industrial information society with an effective system of social security and development of human resources. According to the concept, in 2020 the GDP of Azerbaijan will surpass $100 billion; an average economic growth will be 5.5-6%.
The Concept of Development of Azerbaijan was presented in Baku during the international conference which was organized by the Center of Strategic Studies (SAM) under President of Azerbaijan and participation of the United Nations Development Program and the audit company PricewaterhouseCoopers. The head of the presidential administration of the country, Ramiz Mekhtiyev, presented the project of the concept "Azerbaijan-2020: view to the future." He noted that the developed concept of the country development "covers issues of improving competitiveness of Azeri economy, balanced development of the country's regions, providing the turn to information society, development of human resources, building an effective system of social security, continuation of institutional reforms, maintaining cultural heritage, and preservation of environment in the period to 2020."
According to Mekhtiyev, democratic development has been and will be apriority for Azerbaijan. The head of the presidential administration states that the Azerbaijani government will do its best for diversification of economy and the country's development. Development "will have a stable character and cover economic, social, and environmental spheres. It will enable doubling of the GDP per person - to $13 thousand."
Resources for achievement of the targets are seen by the Azerbaijani authorities in using the beneficial geographic location of the country, development of energy, transport, transit, and logistic infrastructures. The complete aim is turning Azerbaijan into a significant and functional regional center. Azerbaijan will step into a new stage of innovative and modernizing activity, which will contribute to improvement of competitiveness of Azeri economy and its effective integration into the world economy.
"The government is interested in support of social prosperity of the population, development of human resources, and the growth of the middle class," Mekhtiyev noted. He thinks that improvement of the educational system and the health care system is necessary for it; young people should be involved into the social life, the employment rate should be improved, and the gender balance should be provided. The Concept will be implemented through target programs. Mekhtiyev singled out three main directions - institutional development of the state segment; development of the system of state electronic services (electronic government); and general institutional development. "We believe that it will provide a fundament for development of the civil society," the head of the presidential administration said.
The Concept of Development caused great interest of international structures and readiness to be involved in its realization. Speaking in Baku, the resident-coordinator of the United Nations Development Program in Azerbaijan, Antonius Bernardus Brok, said that the UN and the UNDP discussed participation in encouraging the concept of development "Azerbaijan-2020."
The concept of development is quite real and can be fulfilled in the context of the development boom in Azerbaijan, even though tasks are very ambitious. In less than a decade the country threefold increased the GDP. It is the most economically developed state of the South Caucasus. Rational using of oil revenues led Azerbaijan to the leading position in the region. The concept of development will only define clear priorities and form a new pace of breakthrough.
