Discussions on the future development of Karabakh economy is held at UNEC
Another event has been held at UNEC as a part of the “Karabakh talks”.
The live discussion was on “The economy of Karabakh after the war: As an important link of the Centre for Regional Innovation and Technology and the value chain”
The event moderated by the rector of UNEC professor Adalat Muradov was attended by deputy minister of Economy Niyazi Safarov, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship Tahir Mirkishili, director of the Institute of Economics of ANAS, professor Nazim Imanov and head of the UNEC Research Center for Knowledge Economics, Associate Professor Altay Ismayilov.
Rector Adalat Muradov said that the event would present certain views on the future economy of Karabakh, discuss the development and prospects of the economy of the liberated territories.
The head of the UNEC Research Center for Knowledge Economics, Assoc. Professor, Altay Ismayilov made a presentation on “The economy of Karabakh after the war: as an important link of the centre for Regional Innovation and Technology and the value chain.” The rapporteur outlined the main goals and objectives of turning Karabakh into a regional innovation center, and made proposals on infrastructure, institutional and scientific-educational fields in this direction. He also noted the effectiveness of the implementation of the “University – State – Industrial Model” in the region.
Chairman of the parliamentary committee Tahir Mirkishili noted that in the pre-occupation period, the territory of Karabakh accounted for 15-20 percent of the country’s economy, and its share in ensuring the country’s food security was about 15-17%. At present, the economic potential of the Karabakh region is wider, Tahir Mirkishili said, adding that these opportunities can be increased to about 8%. He said that the potential of the Karabakh region for the non-oil sector of the Azerbaijani economy is 15-20 percent. Noting that the establishment of the Regional Innovation Center in Karabakh could have a high impact, the chairman of the committee shared the factors that led to the establishment of this center, as well as international experience.
Deputy Minister of Economy Niyazi Safarov informed the participants that the model of economic development defined by the President had been formed and the economy in the liberated territories would be based on the basic principles of this model. He also added that according to the relevant order of the President, a State Commission was established to assess and eliminate the damage to the liberated territories, and restoration work is underway in those territories. The Deputy Minister released statistics on material and moral damage caused by the occupation. Director of the Institute of Economics of ANAS prof. Nazim Imanov spoke about national goals for economic development.
In the end, the rector drew attention to a number of conceptual points. Noting that there are regions and areas in need of investment in the country’s economy, the rector said that Karabakh economy is a favorable and irreplaceable opportunity for the future sustainable development of Azerbaijan in this regard. Professor A.Muradov said it would be useful to develop a state program “Digital Karabakh”, to create new higher education institutions in Karabakh that meet modern requirements, as well as to build a “Smart city” model in Shusha, a symbol of Karabakh.
After the discussions, the questions of the audience were answered and suggestions were voiced.
Note: The next event in the framework of the “Karabakh talks” will be held on November 20 at 11:00 on “The economic impact of the liberation of Karabakh on the Turkic world.” The discussions will be broadcast live on official Facebook page of UNEC.