Mikayil Jabbarov: Azerbaijan embarked on path of progress and prosperity when Heydar Aliyev came to power

With the first appointment of Heydar Aliyev as the head of Azerbaijan in 1969, Azerbaijan embarked on a path of progress and prosperity, Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov said at the event "The role of Heydar Aliyev in the implementation of UN development initiatives in Azerbaijan".

Report informs that, according to him, as a result of the socio-economic programs implemented in 1969-1982, Azerbaijan rapidly developed and became one of the leading republics of the Soviet Union: "One of the greatest services of the architect and builder of modern independent Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev to our people is the salvation of the Azerbaijani statehood and the opening of a new stage in the country's political history.The difficult political and economic problems that Azerbaijan faced in the first years of independence, the military aggression of Armenia further complicated the situation. It is thanks to the leadership skills, strategic decisions of Heydar Aliyev in this difficult period that a strong and independent state, an efficient, sustainable economy and a prosperous, free society have been formed."

Jabbarov noted that on the basis of his rich economic knowledge and experience, Heydar Aliyev clearly defined the path of Azerbaijan's economic development in the new period: "As in all countries that have chosen a democratic path of development, Azerbaijan also opted for principles of a market economy, including private property, free enterprise, privatization, development of the non-oil sector, industry and the renewal of social infrastructure, as a priority And the signing of the Contract of the Century caused a radical turn in Azerbaijan's economy. The successful implementation of the far-sighted oil strategy laid the foundation for the further sustainable development of our country."

The minister stressed that strengthening Azerbaijan's position in the international arena was one of the main issues that the great leader paid attention to: "The speeches of the national leader at the UN General Assembly, of which Azerbaijan has been a member since 1992, played a great role in developing cooperation with the UN. In his speeches, Heydar Aliyev described the political and economic situation of Azerbaijan and the principles of its policy towards the world community, widely informed about the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, brought to the attention of the UN members the difficult situation in which Azerbaijan found itself as a result of this aggression.

According to him, with Heydar Aliyev's participation, Azerbaijan, together with most of the UN member countries, adopted the Millennium Declaration in September 2000 at the Millennium Summit in New York, which determined the general framework for creating significant positive changes in the lives of people in the world in the period up to 2015.

"This declaration reflects eight global Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The State Program for Poverty Reduction and Economic Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2003-2005, The State Program for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2008-2015, three state programs for the socio-economic development of the regions (2004-2008, 2009-2013 and 2014-2018) cover a set of measures aimed at achieving the MDGs in our country. As a result, Azerbaijan has made significant progress on many Millennium Development Goals, in particular on reducing poverty, raising the level of education, improving the situation in gender equality and environmental protection, reducing child and maternal mortality, strengthening the fight against dangerous infectious and other diseases, and expanding participation in the global partnership for progress. Azerbaijan, among 128 countries, committed to reducing poverty by up to half under the Millennium Development Goals is one of 18 countries that have met this commitment, as well as 29 countries that have achieved poverty reduction below 5% globally.