Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the meeting with representatives of the general public in Lerik

I am visiting Lerik District again. I am very glad to meet with you. This is my fourth visit to Lerik District as President. Many important decisions were made in previous years related to the development of Lerik District. The implementation of these decisions paved the way for rapid development of the district. Of course, first of all we tackled the construction of the Lankaran-Lerik highway. An appropriate instruction was issued in 2005 and the road was built. There was a road before too, but it was in very poor condition. After the construction of the road, development of Lerik went even faster. In the summer of this year, I was informed that the road was no longer serviceable. So funds in the amount of 5 million manats were allocated from the President’s Contingency Fund and reconstruction of the road began. The rest of the funds will be allocated from the State Investment Program so that the Lankaran-Lerik road meets the highest standards. I can say that it is already in good condition, but it will get even better.

As you know, there was no gasification in Lerik in Soviet times. A relevant instruction was given to supply the city of Lerik with natural gas, and a gas line was built. I was informed today that gasification of Lerik District is at the level of 36 per cent. I believe that, given the natural terrain of the area and the mountains, this is a good indicator. As far as reasonably possible, additional steps will be taken to supply gas to Lerik District.

The opening of a new power plant with a capacity of 16 megawatts is scheduled in Lerik for today. After this energy is supplied to the general system, it will address not only the needs of the Lerik District but also the sustainability of the energy sector of the entire southern region. First of all, of course, we will provide Lerik District with a reliable source of energy.

We are already celebrating the supply of drinking water to the city of Lerik. I want to sincerely congratulate you on this remarkable occasion. This project has already been implemented. Major funds were allocated for its implementation, and we have managed to achieve our goal. Drinking water is the main prerequisite of human health, and from now on our people will be provided with clean drinking water meeting the highest standards.

Lerik is a land of long-livers and people here are very healthy. There is a lot of information about Lerik in the world. There is also a Museum of centenarians here. During one of my previous visits, I got acquainted with this museum. However, the implementation of this drinking water project will make people even healthier.

The solution of priority infrastructure issues shows that work in all the regions and districts of Azerbaijan is progressing fast. Lerik is one of the most remote districts of Azerbaijan. This is a mountainous area, which is also far from the main highways. Despite this, life here is in full swing, the district develops and socioeconomic indicators are also good. The modern infrastructure available here serves the people and contributes to further economic and social development of the district.

At the same time, we have seriously tackled the solution of social issues in Lerik District. More than 50 schools have been refurbished or rebuilt in the district. A Center of Culture has been created, the central district hospital has been overhauled and fitted with state-of-the-art equipment. In other words, social infrastructure, power lines, gasification, water lines, roads – all this is a reality. On the way here today, we celebrated the opening of a new rural road. The new rural road is more than 20 kilometers long. It links several villages and benefits 11,000 people. In terms of the reconstruction of rural roads, Lerik is in one of the leading places in Azerbaijan. I am told that as a result of the work done in recent years, 88 per cent of the villages of Lerik District have modern roads. A new project is envisaged in the State Investment Program for next year. It is also a rural road project about 20 kilometers long. We will build and commission this road next year.

We have done all this within the framework of state programs on the socioeconomic development of our regions. As you know, the execution of the third state program is coming to an end this year. The program has been exceeded and we see this in the example of Lerik District. A new program for the coming years is being prepared, and proposals are currently being received from the regions. I am urging the Lerik public to send us suggestions too. This program will be reviewed by the government, and economic and social issues will be addressed in the coming years.

In general, all the regions and districts of our country are developing fast. Such a successful development of the country, of course, pleases our people. The international authority of Azerbaijan is growing, we are becoming stronger and our prudent economic policies are bearing fruit. The economy of Azerbaijan is sustainable. Economically, we do not depend on anyone, we are the masters of our own destiny. A powerful economy, a well-thought-out economic policy and the growing financial opportunities have allowed us the opportunity to carry out remarkable projects in all the regions, in the most remote locations. The 16-megawatt power plant opening in Lerik today is a major infrastructure project in itself. Drinking water, gasification – we are doing all this at our own expense and without receiving help or loans from anyone. There is no need for loans today. We are currently receiving some loans, but this process has practically stopped. We provide loans to some foreign countries ourselves and receive interest. In other words, Azerbaijan is experiencing a period of rapid development in the true sense of the word, and this development is manifested in all our regions, including Lerik District.

As I have already mentioned, this is my fourth visit to Lerik. There will be more visits in the future. I am sure that the instructions given and the decisions made today will lead to excellent results in the future. Additional steps will be taken to facilitate further economic and social development of Lerik. An executive order will be signed. I know that projects related to the construction of rural roads are still on the agenda. There will also be projects related to the construction of schools and reconstruction of housing. Therefore, I want to say again: please raise your concerns, and appropriate instructions will be issued. We have followed this path so far and achieved excellent results.

I sincerely congratulate you and wish you good health and happiness.