Ilham Aliyev sends an address to the participants of “Rebuild Garabagh”
President Ilham Aliyev has sent an address to the participants of the “Restoration, Reconstruction and Development of Karabakh” exhibition – “Rebuild Garabagh.”
1news.az reports this with reference to the official website of the head of state.
The address reads:
“Dear participants of the event!
I cordially greet you on the occasion of the opening of the 6th Azerbaijan International Exhibition “Restoration, Reconstruction and Development of Karabakh” – “Rebuild Garabagh” and wish success to all the participants of the event.
The victory won in the 44-day Patriotic War laid the foundation for a new stage of creation and development of Karabakh and East Zangazur. Within the framework of the “First State Program on the Great Return,” our cities and villages are being rebuilt anew, and the safe return of our compatriots to their native lands is being ensured. Azerbaijan is carrying out this work at the expense of its own financial resources. To date, 25.5 billion manats have been allocated from the state budget for restoration and reconstruction.
For the safe implementation of the Great Return, more than 300,000 hectares of territory have been cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance, and over 40,000 people have returned to 47 settlements. About 100,000 people currently live, study and carry out activities in the territories liberated from occupation.
The transport infrastructure being created in Karabakh and East Zangazur connects settlements with each other and with the country’s single economic space. To date, about 1,500 kilometers of roads have been built, and the 11.7-kilometer-long Murovdag tunnel has become an important engineering example of creative work carried out in difficult mountainous conditions on a global scale. The Fuzuli, Zangilan and Lachin international airports have been put into operation. The construction of railways continues. The Horadiz-Aghband railway line, being an important component of the Zangazur corridor, is of strategic importance for the expansion of Azerbaijan’s international transport and logistics ties.
Energy and water supply is also being created for the functioning of new settlements and production areas. One new reservoir has been built and five reservoirs have been restored in the region, and 13 substations and 38 hydroelectric power plants with a total capacity of 307 megawatts have been put into operation. The development of Karabakh and East Zangazur as a “green energy zone” is one of the main directions of the construction of this infrastructure.
The development of infrastructure is accompanied by the organization of modern social services in the settlements. Forty educational and 20 medical institutions, as well as Karabakh University in Khankendi, have started working in the region. The coverage of state, banking, postal and communication services is also expanding. The administrative centers built and put into operation in Lachin, Zangilan, Fuzuli and Aghdam make it possible to promptly provide the population with services in the field of social security, employment and other areas within a single space.
Infrastructure construction is complemented by the restoration of the historical and cultural appearance of Karabakh and East Zangazur. The restoration of historical, cultural and religious monuments destroyed and damaged during the occupation period, and the creation of modern tourism infrastructure serve to preserve the rich heritage of the region, revive its cultural and spiritual life, and realize its tourism potential.
The revival of the region also covers the elimination of the environmental consequences of the occupation. During the occupation period, 54,300 hectares of forest areas were destroyed, and soil and water resources were polluted. To date, 600 hectares of the forest fund have been restored. Since the restoration of forests and water ecosystems and the application of climate-resilient construction solutions are of particular importance for the long-term development of the region.
The main goal of the next, second stage of the State Program on the Great Return is, on the basis of the opportunities created, to further expand private investment, permanent employment and export-oriented production, and to strengthen the position of Karabakh and East Zangazur as a new growth center in the country’s economy. The advanced urban planning and engineering solutions applied in the region create experience that can be used both in other regions of Azerbaijan and at the international level.
From this point of view, the successful holding in Baku of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), organized by the UN Human Settlements Programme in 2026, served to present our country’s achievements in the field of urban planning at the international level and to strengthen its position in the global dialogue.
The “Rebuild Garabagh” and “BakuBuild” exhibitions held within the framework of the “Caspian Construction Week” create broad opportunities for sharing this experience, presenting new technologies and establishing business partnerships. I am confident that these partnerships will also be reflected in concrete projects and will make an important contribution to the Great Return and the long-term development of the region.
I wish success to the work of the exhibition and new achievements to each of you in your activities.”
