Baku, December 28, AZERTAC
The Azerbaijani President`s Assistant for Public and Political Affairs Ali Hasanov has said that the country protected itself against complex global processes and continued its development in 2015 as he highlighted the results of the year in an interview with AZERTAC. "The year 2015 was of vital importance as the tasks facing the government and society of Azerbaijan have been fulfilled, and foreign policy issues have been addressed." "We maintained the rate of economic growth, continued the execution of economic and social programs, implementation of huge transnational energy and transportation projects, and measures to improve people`s social well-being."
Mr Hasanov said: "Azerbaijan has considerably strengthened its international standing, and ensured national security and stability. Thanks to President Ilham Aliyev`s independent, well thought out and flexible policy the country has protected itself against complex global processes and continued its development."
The Presidential Assistant commented on November 1 parliamentary election: "The election to the Millii Majlis was one of the remarkable events in the socio-political life of the country. The election was held in a democratic atmosphere and reflected the will of the people of Azerbaijan." "A total of 1246 people were registered as parliamentary candidates, with 767 participating in the election. More than 40 foreign missions, totaling over 500 people, tens of thousands of local observers, local and foreign media representatives and experts monitored the voting. According to them, the election was transparent, fair, and saw tough competition."
Mr Hasanov highlighted the country`s economic development. "According to statistics, Azerbaijan`s economy grew 3.1 percent in 11 months of the year, while the gross domestic product made $50 billion. What is important is that this growth was possible thanks to the non-oil sector. In 2015, the non-oil economy grew more than four percent, accounting for 70 percent of the national economy. The industrial output increased 2.1 percent, while the non-oil industry saw a 7.7 percent growth." "A total of 20 billion US dollars were invested in the country`s economy, including 11 billion of foreign investment. A total of 87,000 jobs were opened, with the total number of jobs created since 2004 exceeding 1.4 million."
The Presidential Assistant highlighted the importance of the first European Games that Azerbaijan hosted this year. "The fact that the history of the European Games started in Azerbaijan is a landmark event. Never before the county hosted a sporting event of such a scale. Suffice it to say that a total of nearly 6,000 athletes from 50 countries competed in the Games. This was Europe`s first ever own Games. Baku 2015 Games were magnificent, grandiose – everything from the opening to closing ceremony was excellently organized."
Mr Hasanov provided an insight into international events hosted by Azerbaijan. He particularly spoke of the 48th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank, the 12th session of the General Conference of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). He also hailed the importance of Azerbaijan`s attending the G20 Summit in the Turkish city of Antalya.
On the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Presidential Assistant expressed regret that "there has not been any tangible progress on the problem this year". He blamed Armenia`s non-constructive position and the OSCE Minsk Group`s irresolute position for the delay in the conflict settlement.
