Baku, December 4, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Rustam Khalilov on his appointment as head of Hajigabul District Executive Authority and Vugar Novruzov on his appointment as head of Naftalan City Executive Authority.

Speaking at the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- I am appointing you as heads of executive authority. I am appointing Rustam Khalilov as head of Hajigabul District Executive Authority and Vugar Novruzov as head of Naftalan City Executive Authority. This means a great deal of trust. You must justify this trust with your work.

Fundamental reforms are under way in our country. It is possible to say that these reforms cover all areas. Reforms in the economic sphere and the financial sector, the measures related to transparency are already yielding excellent results. According to the information available to me, in 11 months of this year, tax and customs authorities alone have contributed 934 million manats into the budget in excess of the plan. And the main reason for that is the personnel reform. Both tax and customs bodies have undergone drastic personnel changes and new managers have been appointed. Thus, the result is obvious.

Therefore, along with structural transformation, personnel reforms are also under way. As for the structural transformation, our society appreciates them. New organizational charts of the Presidential Administration and the Cabinet of Ministers have been approved, the Milli Majlis will be re-formed. All this has one goal: ensure the successful development of our country, preserve the wonderful atmosphere that exists in the country and give young professionals the opportunity to prove themselves. The overall management work must comply with modern standards.

The successful development of our country is an undeniable truth. This is acknowledged by all reputable international bodies. Our country enjoys great international authority. The events that took place in our country in October-November alone, the important events we have held show how high the international authority of Azerbaijan is and the international support we enjoy. The summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking states was held at a high level, and Azerbaijan took over chairmanship in it. The Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement was held at a high level. With the support of 120 countries, we were elected the chairing country in this organization and will preside over it for three years. A summit of religious leaders of the world has been held in Azerbaijan and all representatives of attending 70 countries noted that Azerbaijan played a leading role in this field in the world.

At the same time, the ongoing personnel and structural reforms further enhance the international authority of our country and are highly appreciated by our population. According to the latest opinion poll, the vast majority of our people support and approve our policy.

Personnel reforms will be continued. The recent reforms are already yielding results. The society has developed a very positive opinion about the reforms and there are expectations. Therefore, all of the newly-appointees receive specific tasks and must fulfill them. Government officials should not view senior roles as a source of income. Government officials must serve the people. This is their main mission, and you should also work like that.

For many years, Rustam Khalilov has been a member of the Milli Majlis. Over this period, he has accumulated a lot of experience. I am sure he will apply this experience in Hajigabul District and contribute to the development of the district. Vugar Novruzov is a young professional who worked in the Presidential Administration for some time and is now deputy head of Khazar District Executive Authority. So this appointment is also a confirmation of my words: experience and innovation of youth. This synthesis should be strengthened in society, in the government and in all management structures. Knowledge, training of experienced personnel and, at the same time, the innovation, dynamism and the youth’s aspiration for novelties – it is a unity of these principles that will continue to determine our successful development.

Your main responsibility should be to ensure that economic development in the city and district you will be leading and to resolve the problem of unemployment. You should be in constant touch with the people. First of all, we must deeply analyze all the existing problems, and it is necessary to draw up a plan to address them. Of course, the solution of some problems is the responsibility of central executive authorities. In such situations, you should raise the issue with central executive authorities and inform the Presidential Administration. The issues that depend on you should be decided by you, and you should always listen to the concerns of our citizens. Therefore, your contacts with citizens should not be formal but businesslike in nature, and this should be a priority in your work.

Problems related to unemployment are being resolved throughout Azerbaijan, and international agencies acknowledge our success in this area. But I have repeatedly said that, unlike some neighboring countries, our population is growing. Azerbaijan is the only country in the South Caucasus with a growing population. After the Soviet period, during the years of independence, it increased by about 30 percent – from 7 to 10 million. Of course, all this requires the creation of jobs. To create jobs, investment projects must be implemented. Therefore, heads of executive authority must establish close contacts with both local and foreign businesses, attract investment to cities and districts, so that local production grows and unemployment is always at a low level.

To develop the potential of Hajigabul District, the Hajigabul industrial zone was established on my instruction. This zone will have great potential and a special regime of benefits will be applied there. I know that this is highly appreciated by entrepreneurs. Such experience already exists in Sumgayit, Neftchala, Masalli and other cities and districts. Industrial zones have been created and are still being created in Mingachevir. Therefore, it is necessary to pay great attention to the activities of the industrial zone. Other projects should be implemented as well, including those related to the development of agriculture. Increasing agricultural yields is one of the main issues on the agenda. I believe that we have achieved a record indicator this year. The average yield in grain production has reached 32 quintals per hectare. This is the highest result in recent years, and it will grow further. In cotton growing, harvesting has not finished yet, there is not much left, but we have already collected 29 quintals of cotton per hectare. Cotton farmers are well aware that the yields were about 30 quintals or more only for three or four years in the history of Azerbaijan. One of them is 2019. Therefore, agriculture must develop, especially now. Of course, this applies to Hajigabul District.

I believe that our efforts to transform the city of Naftalan into a modern resort center have been very successful. When I first visited Naftalan as President, I felt bad because I saw that the city was practically in a ruined state. There was no infrastructure, there was no light, there was no gas, there was no water, the roads were in terrible condition. The sanatoria built in Soviet years were destroyed, thousands of refugees were settled in the city and their plight was also very difficult. So I issued the instruction to allocate funds. First of all, we resettled refugees and built beautiful houses for them. After that, we attracted investors and the investment began. In parallel with this, all multi-storey buildings in the city of Naftalan were overhauled, new parks were laid, a central city hospital and three five-star hotels “Chinar”, “Karabakh” and “Gashalti” were opened. I personally attended all the opening ceremonies. The construction of four- and three-star hotels is currently ongoing. In Soviet times, 70,000 people came to Naftalan for treatment every year. We are now moving towards this goal, as 30,000-40,000 people come here for rest and treatment. It is our main task to develop Naftalan as an international tourism. The executive authority of the city should pay great attention to this work. The vast majority of people living in Naftalan work in the service sector.

In a word, the confidence placed in you is indeed a big advance for you. In the current circumstances, personnel should be increasingly demanding. Personnel have very serious tasks, especially in connection with violations. Bribery and corruption should be at zero level. You should not offend investors, but help them, attract them so that citizens are happy with your work. If people are satisfied – there is a proverb “people see everything” – I will be satisfied too and will appreciate your work. If you do not justify my trust, a very serious punishment awaits you. I am sure you are aware of this responsibility and, in accordance with the requirements of the modern period, will contribute to the development of Naftalan city and Hajigabul District you will be leading.