WB may take part in reconstruction of Karabakh - EXCLUSIVE

"The World Bank has in the past had different engagements in Azerbaijan around post-conflict recovery, supporting IDPs, so, certainly, if the government requested, this is an area we’d be glad to support again,” the World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan Sarah Michael said in her interview to Report.

“The official name of the World Bank is IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). So "reconstruction" is our name. I am not a history teacher, but, I think, it is always important to remember that the World Bank and the IBRD started essentially to respond to the needs in postwar Europe for reconstruction after World War 2. So, reconstruction and recovery from conflict are in our DNA – one of the main reasons that we exist as an institution.

A lot of our work globally is to support post-conflict recoveries, reconstruction, and also, helping countries to avoid potential risks of entry into the conflict, something that we are very strongly committed to. So, this is, certainly, an area that we’d be ready to support the government in reconstruction and recovery needs based on its specific request,” she said.

Azerbaijan has been in cooperation with the World Bank since 1992. The Bank has invested around $4 billion in more than 50 projects in Azerbaijan.