Development of regions - the illusion of government

Baku/06.02.14/Turan : The first and second state program of socio- economic development in 2003-2013 exceeded , and in the next five years will be made ??to those works which could not be implemented in the regions before, said President Ilham Aliyev held on 5 February conference devoted to the implementation of these programs. Experts do not agree with the opinion that the regions of the country have become more developed.

" The share of Baku and surrounding regions account for 80 % of gross domestic product , 97% of the formation of the state budget , 99% of export potential, about 90 % of industrial output, 96 % of bank loans . How is it possible in these circumstances to talk about successful regional policy?" says economist and expert Rovshan Agayev.

According to experts, if the government does not have a regional development strategy, defining the basic principles of regional development policy in the medium and long term, sustainable regional development can be an illusion, not a reality.

According to the expert, for regional development, according to international practice, there must be specialized institution (a ministry, a fund or Regional Development Agency). Besides, the country has not provided the decentralization of local government: local elected bodies do not have autonomous administrative authority. This means that the regions have no effective control system.

In international practice, the development of regions is measured by several criteria (ability to trade, production capacity, innovation, branding and accessibility). The government prepares and publishes a report conforming to these parameters based on ten indicators of quantity and quality, Rovshan Agayev told Turan.

The main thesis of the government's regional development is the investment for the construction and reconstruction of infrastructure. According to expert estimates, the amount of public investment in the economy for 10 years was 56 billion manats. However, the government does not respond to the question of how these investments are reflected in the qualitative development of the regional economy.

Ilham Aliyev at the conference outlined the tasks of the government for the next 5 years: full completion of infrastructure projects, renovation of power lines, upgrading the electrical sector, to ensure uninterrupted water supply in Baku and regions, bringing to 95 % gasification, etc. - 08B-