BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 16. Up to 200 cities, villages, and settlements are planned to be restored in Azerbaijan's Karabakh and East Zangezur by 2035, Executive Director of the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communication Vusal Gasimli said at the Second Forum of Solidarity of Non-Governmental Organizations of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) member countries, Trend reports.
According to him, in 2025, the gross domestic product of the entire Turkic world will already exceed $2.1 trillion. This indicator places Turkic countries among the top 10 economic areas with the strongest economic potential in the world.
Gasimli recalled that last year, trade turnover between Turkic states exceeded $1.3 trillion.
"Our population has already reached 180 million, and our total area is 4.5 million square kilometers. This is larger than the territory of the European Union.
Today, the OTS provides about 1% of the world's population, 2% of the world economy, and more than 3% of world trade," he explained.
The executive director emphasized that last year, the OTS member countries had high economic growth rates.
"In Kyrgyzstan, economic growth was more than 11 percent, in Uzbekistan more than 7%, in Kazakhstan more than 6%, and in Türkiye 3.5%. In Azerbaijan, growth in the non-oil sector approached 5%. Not only our position, but also our dynamics are developing very rapidly," the analyst revealed.
He noted that Azerbaijan has created one of the most unique examples of urban development since World War II. No nation or state has restored so many cities, villages, and settlements in a short period of time after the war, using its own internal resources:
"By 2035, it's planned to restore about 200 cities, villages, and settlements in Karabakh and East Zangezur. This is truly an incredible indicator. Moreover, considering that all this is being implemented using Azerbaijan's own internal resources, it's very proud.
"Today, more than 40 settlements in Karabakh and East Zangezur have already been returned. The cities, villages, and settlements that have been built meet the highest standards. They are built on the basis of the concepts of 'smart city', 'smart village'. Modern technological solutions are fully implemented here," Gasimli added.
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