A new strategy of the Asian Development Bank on assistance to Azerbaijan in 2007-2009, will be put for consideration of the Board of Directors in January to February 2007, Matthew Westfal, the head of the Baku Office of the ADB, told Trend. Earlier its signing was scheduled for October-November 2006.
The adoption of the strategy is a long process and stipulates several stages. In this phase we expect a mission of the bank with the headquarters based in Manila. They will arrive in July or early August and will directly work and analyze different sectors. Then it is planned to hold meetings in Manila and define priorities through analysis, Westfall underscored.
According to Westfall, it is also panned to discuss with the government the schedule of adoption of the strategy. Today the ADB is considering three priority directions for cooperation. They have been accorded with the Azerbaijan government.
We want to provide for program planning of the projects to be implemented in Azerbaijan. The first direction is transport and major focus will be made on the rehabilitation of roads. It can be done in the direction of expansion of road projects or connecting road projects. The second is the improvement of the water supply, sewerage, handling and treatment of hard wastes. The third direction is the alternative energy sources, gas, pure energy sources, official of the bank underlined. Westfall did not rule out the probability pf the participation in other directions, while these directions are the major ones.
At present work under the technical assistance to development of projects on recoverable energy sources and south transport corridor (Alat-Astara) has been set up. A resolution on approval of credits for the implementation of these projects is expected to come out early 2007.