On 7 January, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev unveiled more details regarding the development of the Nagorno-Karabakh region following the signing of the trilateral ceasefire agreement. 

He stated that there should be a single concept or the restoration of all the territories and cities in the region. “I think that relevant agencies, the government and the Presidential Administration should determine the optimal composition of villages. In other words, there must be a reference point for us. Of course, the existence of these historic settlements and land plots must be taken into account so that the people who will settle there can provide for their families by working there. They should no longer need state support. Land parcels should be allocated to them so that they could cultivate them and earn a good income. Given that no land reform has been carried out on these lands, we must, of course, work out new criteria for this reform,” he said.

“In general, the main areas of activity in the liberated lands should be agriculture, agricultural processing and tourism, so that we can preserve the natural qualities of this region. Hard as the Armenians tried, they could not settle there. Because they do not have human resources. I have visited the liberated lands where the Armenians used to live. I was horrified to see their living conditions. There was a well-known village of Shurnukh where the Armenians lived. They have now been evicted from there. Yesterday, the head of the Border Service informed me that it was a terrible sight. It looks more like a kennel,” Aliyev added. 

Aliyev emphasised that the Karabakh region should serve as an example for the world as a green energy zone when agricultural productivity in the region is increased. He complained that the irrigation system in the region is a major obstacle to fulfilling this goal. “A special commission was set up some time ago to use water resources more efficiently. The commission is working hard, and some shortcomings have already been revealed, including illegal tie-ins, the lack of water records and even the lack of records of water entering and leaving the Mingachevir reservoir, our biggest reservoir. The source of the Tartar River, our largest river in these areas, is Kalbajar District. But we were deprived of the waters of the Tartar River because the Sarsang and Sugovushan reservoirs were in the hands of the Armenians. They cut off the water and we had to dig hundreds of artesian wells in these areas. This is also fraught with heavy financial costs – both on drilling and operation, because energy is consumed. Our other rivers originate there and pass through that area. The Hakari, the Bazarchay, the Okhchuchay, the Khachinchay rivers. Many of them flow into the Araz River, and the construction of reservoirs along the rivers should be considered. This must be included in this year's Public Investment Program and the program for work on liberated lands,” Aliyev stressed. 

The Azerbaijani President also underlined that the region should be provided with green energy. “There is great interest in renewable energy now, and the projects discussed last year are already being implemented. The construction of a 240-megawatt wind farm is under way. A foreign investor will build the plant with his own money. Another project is a 200-megawatt solar power plant. With this in mind, we must attract foreign investors to the liberated lands. There are many large transnational companies interested in investing in this area now. About 10 companies are interested, and the main focus for them should be liberated lands,” he said.

Of special importance to Aliyev is the “Nakhichevan Corridor” where it was announced that works were underway. “This road will be used by Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Armenia and Iran. It is of special importance for future multilateral cooperation. We will begin the construction of the Horadiz-Aghband railway in our territory. At the same time, work will be done to restore and modernize the railway in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. Given that the Armenian railways are owned by Russian railways, our counterpart is Russia, of course. The Armenian state has bearing to the Mehri railway project. We are discussing this issue with Russia because “Russian Railways” are the owners of Armenian railways. Preliminary discussions are positive. So far so good. Upcoming events will also be announced,” he stated.

In the social sphere, Aliyev spoke on the housing issues of Azerbaijan’s internally displaced persons (IDPs). “I must also say that from now on, homes for the IDPs will be built only on liberated lands. Some projects are under way and some are nearing completion. Homes have been built in Fuzuli, Horadiz and other settlements, and these, of course, will be given to the IDPs. However, homes for the IDPs should no longer be built in Baku, Ganja, Sumgayit, Mingachevir and elsewhere. Homes for the IDPs, i.e., former IDPs, will be built only on liberated lands, and we will do this on the basis of a special program. Everyone should know this. I would like everyone to know this. This is a very fair approach,” Aliyev emphasised. The Deputy Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Fuad Huseynov underlined that certain steps need to be undertaken before the IDPs could return to the territories of Karabakh, including the construction of infrastructure, providing the territories with water, energy and gas, as well as restoring the settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh.