French expert: Liberated territories entered period of economic development

“Over the past year, Karabakh has moved to the post-conflict period: a year ago, Karabakh was experiencing a period of conflict and military operations. Today is a year since the 44-day Karabakh War. During this time, a period of implementation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement, the establishment of stability, the beginning of the reconstruction process and economic development has begun,” President of the Institute of European Perspective and Security Studies (IPSE), Emmanuel Dupuy told Report, commenting on the processes taken place since the beginning of the Second Karabakh War.

According to him, the post-conflict period has once again demonstrated the importance of the South Caucasus region as the most favorable corridor for the Silk Road: “Ankara and Moscow played an essential role in ending the conflict in Karabakh. Today, one of the primary beneficiaries of the cessation of the conflict is China. Because Beijing is a potential investor with the ability to support economic development. In the post-conflict period, there is a great need for a workforce in the reconstruction process in Karabakh. However, in addition to the workforce, there is a need for investors. Thus, the South Caucasus has always been considered a favorable corridor for the Silk Road.”

Dupuy also said that Western countries are left out of the post-conflict reconstruction work in Karabakh: “The West has been a loser in this area, as it has been in Afghanistan. The West has lost the opportunity to participate in the reconstruction process by evading its obligations in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Today, almost none of the Western companies are involved in the reconstruction process in Karabakh. Only one English and one Italian company are among the candidate companies to participate in the reconstruction of Shusha and other cities in the region. Turkish companies are involved in the construction of three airports. During my visit to this region, I personally witnessed the rapid and large-scale reconstruction work in Karabakh,” he added.