Ilham Aliyev reviewed the Nakhchivan Business Center

President Ilham Aliyev has viewed the Nakhchivan Business Center and the facilities it offers.

Our country’s rapid development and economic progress have created the conditions for improving the business environment in Azerbaijan. The setting up of modern business centers in the regions is a further example of the state’s care for this sphere. The business center built in Nakhchivan plays an important role in terms of demonstrating and advertising the business climate and the opportunities offered in the Autonomous Republic. The center’s premises, built in keeping with the traditions of national architecture, consist of an administrative section and a spacious exhibition hall. The exhibition hall is equipped with pavilions, state-of-the-art translation facilities, projectors and audio amplifiers. The conditions created here allow various events, business forums, business meetings and conferences to be organized at a high level.

The uniquely built Nakhchivan Business Center enhances the appearance of the city and at the same time illustrates the scale of the work carried out to improve and beautify it. While ensuring dynamic economic development, the implementation of the State Programme for the Socio-Economic Development of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in 2009-2013 also created a favourable business environment for business people to work normally and made it possible to create new production and service sectors, and a series of important measures were adopted to stimulate enterprise. 

The head of state was also informed that the center’s main remit is to educate entrepreneurs, inform businessmen about the economic reforms under way in our country, including in the Autonomous Republic, about international economic links, new developments in the global and national economy, the current situation in and changes to the global financial system.

In the Business Center the President of Azerbaijan visited an exhibition of goods produced in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Various types of foodstuffs and industrial goods, handicrafts and paintings are on display here.

Chairman of the Supreme Majlis of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Vasif Talibov told the head of state that 346 product types and 988 product ranges are currently manufactured in the Autonomous Republic. New enterprises are able to fully meet the population’s demands for 106 types of foodstuffs and 226 types of non-food products through local production. There are currently 438 industrial enterprises operating in the Autonomous Republic.

It was noted that despite the long blockade the past 10 years had witnessed a substantial growth in the macro-economic indices reflecting the Autonomous Republic’s socio-economic development. GDP rose 8.4-fold, the volume of industrial output - 49-fold, agricultural output – 4.7-fold, fixed capital investments – 4.1-fold, the population’s incomes – 10.2-fold and foreign trade turnover - 13.9-fold in 2003-2013.

President Ilham Aliyev was informed that the exhibition featured over 280 product ranges from 88 companies, including from the light and heavy industries, agriculture, the food, textile, mining, metallurgical and motor industries, communications, fisheries and other sectors. The goods are distinguished by their high quality, which, in the first instance, is due to the fact that the production enterprises have the latest equipment. It is no accident that the goods produced in the Autonomous Republic in a whole series of sectors are highly popular now not only in the markets of the South Caucasus and the CIS but also worldwide. The diversification of production sectors in Nakhchivan fully supplies the Autonomous Republic, which is living under a blockade, with food, industrial and other goods and minimizes the dependence on imports. This is undoubtedly linked to the successful economic policy implemented in our country by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

It was reported that the products of 27 workshop entities were also on display at the exhibition. In 2003-2013 the state granted to entrepreneurial entities credit on favourable terms to the tune of 89.8 million manats, and it gave assistance to agricultural producers to the tune of 22.7 million manats.

President Ilham Aliyev also inspected motor vehicles manufactured at the Nakhchivan Automobile Plant. It was noted that the plant, which began operation in January 2010, manufactures the Nazlifan modern car make and that to date 3,000 motor vehicles have been assembled here. The plant’s annual production capacity working a one-shift system is 5,000 motor vehicles. The enterprise, which employs 62 people, currently produces nine different models of motor vehicles. The models are updated every year. It is planned to manufacture a new make of car at the plant in the near future. Moreover, in future, 70 per cent of the component part requirements will be met through production at enterprises operating in other regions, including in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. 

It was noted that 954 manufacturing and service enterprises have been set up over the past 10 years. The important measures which were adopted, promoting the growth of the Autonomous Republic’s socio-economic capacity, are also important for creating the new jobs guaranteeing the population’s employment. As a result, 58,460 new jobs were created in 2003-2013, thanks to which the unemployment rate was cut to zero.