Gadabay, August 20, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today attended a ceremony to launch a drinking water supply project in the city of Gadabay.

Prior to the ceremony, the head of state met with representatives of local public.

Speech of President Ilham Aliyev

- Good morning! My warm greetings to all of you! It is a very significant day in Gadabay District today. A beautiful center bearing the name of great leader is being opened and the problem of drinking water of the city of Gadabay is being resolved. Both of these events are closely related to each other because as a result of the activities of great leader, Azerbaijan is successfully developing today. It is as a result of his policies that Azerbaijan has been experiencing a period of rapid development since 1993. Great leader Heydar Aliyev is the founding father of the independent state of Azerbaijan. As a result of his efforts and activities in 1993, Azerbaijan embarked on a path of development. Since 2003 this policy has continued, and the present-day Azerbaijan is a fine example of this policy.

Our country is undergoing rapid development in all directions. Social and economic issues are being addressed. Azerbaijan is known in the international arena as a worthy country. There is rapid development in all regions of our country. Thus, I do not see any problems for the present and future of our country. There are no risks or threats. Azerbaijan a very safe country, our people live in peace, tranquility, and there are good prospects for future development.

The solution of the water problem for the city of Gadabay today is also a manifestation of this policy. As people living here, you know quite well that water has always been an issue of concern for the people. Whereas in previous years a part of the city was supplied with water for a few hours a day, this problem has been completely resolved now and Gadabay is supplied with clean drinking water. I think that this is a historic project because this problem could never be resolved before. The implementation of this project, of course, required a lot of money. The Azerbaijani government allocated these funds to make sure that people are provided with clean drinking water. Water means life and clean water means a healthy life. The implementation of drinking water projects has gained momentum in Azerbaijan. These projects have already been commissioned in many districts. There are many projects that are being implemented now. In other words, the task was set to resolve this problem in all regions of Azerbaijan, so that the people of Azerbaijan could be provided with drinking water complying with the standards of the World Health Organization. I think that this is one of the most important infrastructure projects.

The environmental situation in Gadabay District is good. There is clean air and clean environment. This is actually a resort area. Gadabay is a district rich in natural springs. We have also celebrated the opening of a new line at the mineral water plant today, and I was told that there are many springs in Gadabay District. Under such circumstances, water lines had to be laid and a network created so that the population could use these opportunities. And we have achieved this.

The second most important factor for people's health, of course, is medical care. In Gadabay, this issue has also been resolved. A wonderful hospital was opened here during my visit several years ago. Now there is a hospital for 120 patients.

Other infrastructure projects are also being successfully implemented. Today we celebrated the opening of a power substation. This problem has also been solved in the city of Gadabay and in the district. You are well aware that in former times, depending on weather conditions, the supply of electricity was often interrupted, the old wooden supports were broken - their pictures have just been shown to me - and this, of course, was not to our liking. Now a substation has been built and new transmission lines extended, so that the energy supply in Gadabay District is stable. We have already achieved this.

During my previous visits - this is my fourth visit to Gadabay - our citizens raised the issue of rural roads being in a deplorable state. We have gradually resolved this question as well. Three projects of rural roads have been implemented in Gadabay, covering more than 100 villages. In fact, there are a little more than 100 villages in Gadabay. It is safe to say that all rural roads in Gadabay have been overhauled. I believe that this is also a historic achievement because the poor condition of the roads worried people, made it difficult to move and posed a major problem for agriculture. The agricultural and economic potential of Gadabay District is growing. Good rural roads will allow the opportunity you to deliver your produce to markets faster. In general, roads are important for development - the development of tourism, agriculture.

Gasification in Gadabay District is at the level of 52 per cent. And this is due to the local terrain. However, gasification should be gradually increased. Thus, all infrastructure problems are being addressed in the district. At the same time, social programs are being implemented and industrial enterprises established. According to the information provided to me, more than 600 people were provided with jobs at gold mine. A factory of mineral waters is functioning very well in Gadabay. A new lemonade factory has also been commissioned now. This will supply the domestic market and also create export potential. It is great support for the economic development of the district.

In the coming years, the development of the processing industry and agriculture will remain a priority for the district, of course. All of us, the farmers and entrepreneurs should work in this direction in the years to come, so that we could increase productivity. On the way here I saw that farmers have already started sowing on the slopes of the mountains. What does this mean? This indicates that all the places have already been sown. It is also gratifying that the farmers have already climbed mountains and are conducting sowing there. In the future, we can achieve higher production only by increasing yields. We can achieve this through the operation of the agricultural laboratory which opened in Goygol District yesterday. Therefore, I advise all farmers and villagers to pay great attention to the increase in yields. This is primarily necessary for them and for the state. We must fully provide ourselves with all food products.

We also need to know that the population of Azerbaijan increases by 100,000 people each year. This is an excellent indicator. This shows that our country is developing rapidly. Such positive dynamics is only available in countries where there is development. The population of some countries not only does not grow, but shrinks. There is both natural contraction and migration. We have neither migration nor natural reduction because our economy is developing fast, jobs are being created, favorable conditions are available for our people, and such fine infrastructure facilities are being built. The people of Azerbaijan are very much attached to their land. However, we must always remember that the population of Azerbaijan grows by 100,000 people every year. Of course, this puts forward new demands. It is necessary to build new schools, kindergartens, hospitals, create infrastructure and, of course, food issues should be addressed. Today we are doing a lot to fully provide ourselves with food. However, our land fund is limited. Therefore, agriculture should develop only through higher yields in the future, including Gadabay District.

The opening of a substation, a lemonade plant and the Heydar Aliyev Center in Gadabay in one day, as well as the commissioning of a drinking water project, show that things are going well in our country. Socioeconomic issues in Gadabay District are being resolved. Additional measures will be taken and new instructions related to the development of the district will be signed, so that the issues that have not been resolved to date could be resolved and things in the district always went well. I sincerely congratulate you on this remarkable occasion - completion of the drinking water project.

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On behalf of the district public, Malahat Aliyeva and Tofig Mirzayev thanked President Ilham Aliyev for his attention and care.

President Ilham Aliyev then viewed the stands reflecting the technical and economic indicators of the works done under the project “Reconstruction of drinking water supply and sewerage systems in the city of Gadabay”.

Chairman of Azersu Open Joint Stock Company Gorkhmaz Huseynov informed the head of state about the works done here.

The project is being implemented as part of the “National water supply and sewerage program in six districts of Azerbaijan” project co-funded by the Azerbaijani government and the Islamic Development Bank. The project is designed to improve the use of drinking water and sewerage services for 12,000 people in Gadabay with perspective development in 2035.

The head of state was informed that sewerage system was also established in the city of Gadabay for the first time. Under the project 47.5 km sewerage system and 1.5 km sewerage collector were built. Totally 23,000 people will benefit from this project in the future.

President Ilham Aliyev pressed a button to launch the drinking water supply system.

Then a photo was taken.