Azerbaijani President Alham Aliyev’s birthday coincides with the end
of the year. He celebrates his 49th birthday.
Alexey Vlasov, Editor-in-Chief of Vestnik Kavkaza and deputy dean of
the History Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University, spoke
about Azerbaijan’s coping with the repercussions of the world
recession in 2010 in an interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta
(Independent Newspaper).
He said that Azerbaijan overcame the crisis with relatively few
difficulties and showed high GDP rates in 2010. The International
Monetary Fund gave a high rating to the anti-crisis policy of the
Azerbaijani Central Bank, calling it one of the most efficient on
post-Soviet territory. The basis for economic prosperity is
hydrocarbons, but it must be noted that few countries with such energy
resources managed to overcome the recession with such ease. Azerbaijan
managed to achieve this, its share of currency reserves exceeds 80% of
the reserves in the South Caucasus Region.
The Azerbaijani authorities plan work on modernization. In 1994,
Heydar Aliyev signed a contract, allowing Azerbaijan to take a path of
strategic development . The country saw foreign investments. And it is
not just investments in the oil sector, social programmes, stable
national currency development or construction projects. Heydar Aliyev
took the course to turn Azerbaijan into a modern state. Ilham Aliyev
continued the policy. Heydar Aliyev knew that oil is a good boost for
the economy but the country needs diversification of income sources.
Achieving this goal is possible by improving the quality of human
capital and development of information technologies using the oil and
gas sector for establishment of new development points in the raw
material market. The GDP rate in the non-oil sector exceeded the oil
sectors share almost two-fold.
Improvement of the quality of human capital is not just medium and
higher education issues or improvement of labour skills in the key
sectors of economy. It is also a matter of cultural development,
preservation of the unique history and traditions of the Azerbaijani
people and their neighbours. Integration processes in the economy,
policy and culture are a fundamental principle of forming a space of
mutual trust in the giant geostrategic region, spanning the South
Caucasus, the Caspian and Central Asia.
Initiatives of Mehriban Aliyeva, first lady of Azerbaijan, a Goodwill
Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO, have become a symbol of cultural
integration. Baku built the International Mugam Center and held the
Second Gabalin International Music Festival in the summer of 2010.
Baku became a place for forums of heads of history centers of the CIS
states. Mehriban Aliyeva and the Heydar Aliyev Fund support the
activities. The Heydar Aliyev Fund has an office in Russia, working on
humanitarian and educational projects.
This demonstrates that Azerbaijan is not only a leading player on the
world energy market but is also a country that forms an image of a
young developing country for its neighbours. Ilham Aliyev and Mehriban
Aliyeva act as a brand, similar to how Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev is a symbol of modern Kazakhstan.
It must be noted that 2010 saw an improvement of Russian-Azerbaijani
ties. This success is based on the mutually positive attitude of the
Russian and Azerbaijani leaders. Ilham Aliyev is on good terms with
Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin. This is important in agreeing on
the most pressing issues, such as the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and
dialogue in the energy sphere.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that relations between Russia
and Azerbaijan include the energy sphere, transport and military
cooperation. Significant documents were signed in the spheres of
delimitating and using water resources. Deals were signed with Gazprom
on purchases of Azerbaijani gas in 2011-2012. Many experts
characterize the relations as a strategic partnership. This
rapprochement of positions in key issues raises hopes that the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, taking into account the mediation of Moscow
after the events in August 2008, will be resolved.
New risks and challenges the post-Soviet territory faces in the early
21st century demand consolidation of decisions on issues of social,
economic and information security. Russia and Azerbaijan have shown
that they are ready to solve them together, Alexey Vlasov concluded in
his interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
