![A zoomed in view of the waterfront promenade running along the shores of the Caspian Sea, Baku, Azerbaijan. [Photo via Getty Images]](https://aze.media/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-1178395339-e1723534011484-860x482.webp)
Triumphant proclamations are often replaced by alarming ones, and the reader’s perception becomes weighed down by the diversity of often contradictory and diametrically opposed facts and events presented by various information sources.
On Human Nature and Its Adaptation to the Good
This correlation of information is a product of the instability and ongoing turbulence in many countries of the region, both in internal and foreign policy spheres. In this colorful panorama of social, economic, and political excesses, Azerbaijan stands as an island of stability and development. Human nature tends to take settled life for granted. People hesitate to look back, demanding immediate breakthroughs. Stability, along with slow but steady development, is already a great achievement in this new era of disorder—this new world driven by battles and bloodshed. Azerbaijan has managed not only to walk the razor’s edge of modern geopolitics but also to survive in the face of growing geopolitical threats and risks.
Have we really forgotten so quickly that the Armenian occupation is now a thing of the past? That the foundations of Azerbaijan’s socio-political system have been significantly strengthened?
At first glance, the stability and prosperity of this small nation of 10 million, surrounded by a turbulent ocean of political and social unrest in neighboring countries, might seem paradoxical. However, upon closer examination, Azerbaijan’s success reveals itself as more of a natural progression than an impulsive miracle.
Refreshing Our Memory
Despite the dismemberment of the republic’s territory and the Armenian attempts to preserve the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through terrorism, Azerbaijan, under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev, began a period of dynamic economic development. On this solid foundation, Ilham Aliyev was able to establish an expansive network of energy and fuel projects that ensure the smooth and efficient functioning of all sectors of the economy, including the non-oil sector.
In the context of energy and transportation projects, one cannot overlook the North-South multimodal transport corridor, symbolizing an international project involving Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and India to create a Eurasian trade route.
Azerbaijan’s development of fuel-energy projects has significantly boosted the expansion of its non-oil sector, providing diversification and balance across the entire industrial and agricultural spectrum.
According to the “Strategy for Social and Economic Development of Azerbaijan for 2022-2026,” one of the main goals is to increase the share of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in non-oil GDP to 35%. To structure the synergy between the oil and gas sectors and the non-oil sectors, industrial parks and zones were established as early as 2013 under the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev, which greatly stimulated the development of the manufacturing sector.
To date, five industrial parks have been created in Azerbaijan, with the flagship being the Sumgait Chemical Industrial Park, the largest in the South Caucasus region.
Unlike the parks, industrial zones are created to foster opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing and services sectors.
As a result, Azerbaijan’s non-oil exports in 2023 reached $3.3 billion, an increase of 9.8% compared to 2022. In December, the volume of non-oil exports was $314.3 million, up 3.8% from December 2022. The government’s current goal is to ensure the sustainable diversification of the national economy, which has led to the development of a concept aimed at further increasing non-oil exports. This strategy envisions doubling the non-oil sector’s output by 2025.
Azerbaijan’s targeted energy and industrial development, especially in oil, gas, and metallurgy, positions it as a regional energy hub. This reality defines Azerbaijan’s mission under Aliyev’s leadership to foster environmental sustainability and green energy, now a national priority.
The strategic foundation of Azerbaijan’s environmental policies lies in the “National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development: Azerbaijan 2030,” approved by the Presidential Decree of February 2, 2021.
Azerbaijan possesses significant potential in renewable energy, one of the five national priorities. According to the latest research, the country’s renewable energy potential is estimated at 27,000 MW, including 3,000 MW from wind energy, 23,000 MW from solar energy, 380 MW from bioenergy, and 520 MW from mountain rivers. Azerbaijan is a reliable and responsible member of the international community in the fight against climate change. As part of its contribution to global climate initiatives, Azerbaijan has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
A clear reflection of the deep trust and recognition Azerbaijan enjoys on the global stage is the selection of its capital, Baku, as the host city for COP29.
In Conclusion
The sustainability of economic growth, the efficiency of the industrial complex, and the enhancement of defense capabilities have further elevated Azerbaijan’s significance in the region and the world.
As the ancient saying goes, “Politics is the art of the possible.” Certainly, Azerbaijan has a range of systemic problems hindering rapid economic growth. A certain segment of society, fixated on these problems, attempts to view the Azerbaijani landscape in isolation from global processes.
Azerbaijan faces external pressures to adopt a Western development model, a path that has led countries like Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova into societal collapse, military-political turmoil, and conflict with regional powers. No one denies the success of the Western model, but has it taken root in Eurasia? And have those demanding “immediate benefits” from the Azerbaijani government failed to learn from the bitter lessons of their neighbors, whose nations were reduced to ruins by the hand of regional anti-Western forces?
Azerbaijan had little choice—ruins or sustainable stability and development. The wisdom of the Aliyevs saved the country. Take a brief look around and glance back…
Ismail Bakuvi
Translated from haqqin.az
