Ilham Aliyev expresses confidence that ECO members will benefit from Zangazur corridor

“In 2020, Azerbaijan put an end to nearly 30 years of occupation of its territories by Armenia. The 44-day-long Patriotic War resulted in Armenia's defeat and being forced to sign an act of capitulation on 10 November 2020. Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity. Azerbaijan itself ensured the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions of 1993 demanding immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of armed forces of Armenia from occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at the 15th ECO Summit in Ashgabat, Report informs via Azertag.

“All cities and villages, including cultural and religious heritage sites of Azerbaijan have been totally wiped out by Armenia during the occupation. In total disrespect and hatred to all Muslims, Armenia has destroyed and desecrated our mosques, including by using them as stables for pigs and cows. 65 out of 67 mosques situated in the formerly occupied territories have been totally destroyed and the two remaining have been seriously damaged. Likewise, the graveyards have been vandalized.

We started large-scale reconstruction work immediately after the liberation, which has already yielded initial results. Azerbaijan is building new cities and towns from scratch, relying solely on its own financial resources. To that end, $1.3 billion has been released from the state budget this year. At least, the same amount will be allocated for this purpose in 2022.

I announced the liberated Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur as Green Energy Zone. The liberated territories have the proven potential of 7200 megawatts of solar energy and 2000 megawatts of wind energy.

At the last ECO summit, I informed my colleagues about the Zangazur corridor. Today I can say that the Zangazur corridor becomes a reality. This new transport infrastructure will be an important part of the East-West and North-South corridors. I am confident that the ECO Member States will benefit from this corridor,” President Ilham Aliyev said.