Smart Village - Mission Impossible

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- Fuad bey, "smart village" projects will be implemented in the liberated territories. What is the basis of this project? In other words, how will "smart villages" differ from other traditional villages and cities?

- Smart villages are not an idea, it is a document created in 2016 on the basis of a declaration of the European Union for the development of villages in remote areas. Its main goals are to provide access to services, expand the use of e-services, create a circular economy, and ensure sustainable development in rural areas.

- Smart system is a requirement of the new era. But at the same time, the establishment of such a system requires a lot of money. How much money do you think is needed to build such a system in a village or city in Azerbaijan?

- I want to touch on two issues. First, if we want to build more developed villages/settlements/cities, there is no need to call it smart. During the Soviet era, villages in Azerbaijan had a well-developed infrastructure, and if such an infrastructure is built, there is no need to call it smart. The second issue is the construction of housing that is harmonious with technology. This requires the development of areas that are unconventional for us, from the application of new technologies to the value chain in agricultural production and the development of local tourism. Implementation of these projects will require a lot of funds. New smart settlements require 5G internet speed, there must be smart homes in those villages, and those smart homes must use smart high technologies, of which prices are very high, and there are very few such houses even in developed countries or they are at the level of pilot projects.

Another issue is its naming. They do not create a smart village, it is a further development of what exists. There is no need to create villages in the liberated areas because the concept of the village has become a thing of the past. The name of such settlements, which will be established in those areas, should be town or city.

If we look at recent history, we can see that we have had such an experience. Intelligent Management System, which was established in Baku in 2011. The idea itself was satisfactory in terms of the requirements of the time and the infrastructure built; however, there were no human resources and decision-makers who could manage it, nor did they present the idea at the required level. Such smart city ideas are based on the application of high technology, as well as its usage. The current Internet infrastructure and its speed in Azerbaijan do not allow the implementation of such projects, at least at the initial level. It is still not possible to watch 4K quality YouTube videos in Azerbaijan because the speed is very low.

- Azerbaijan is not China or Japan or any developed European country. That is, it is not technically developed or the number of specialists specializing in this field is not enough. Do you think it will not be difficult to lay this burden on itself or run this system after its establishment?

- Technically, it requires a lot of money to be established, and maintaining that system requires a lot of money and resources. You are right to be concerned, we have seen the end of such projects in Azerbaijan.

- What will smart village projects give to Azerbaijan? So will these projects be profitable? Will they bring benefit to the budget?

- In my opinion, this project is more a matter of prestige. In order to develop such projects, highly qualified personnel must live and work in these settlements. These projects will not bring any benefit to the budget, on the contrary, they will require a lot of funds each year to be maintained.

- The goal of smart village projects is also to provide access to all the services that people in rural areas can get in the city. To give people an opportunity to earn money in the village and develop their business. Will it be possible to apply all this in Azerbaijan?

- Azerbaijan is not a country of the 4^th industrial revolution although it is possible to earn income through certain e-commerce and e-services. However, new settlements must have an economy. And these should be areas of traditional economics. This includes both production and supply chains. One of the issues I was hesitant about is that while we cannot even provide full access to the services in the cities, how will we do it in the villages? I think we need to go back to the beginning of the issue. Along with more mobile e-services in these villages, effective local government institutions should be established.

- "Smart village" projects have already been implemented in many countries around the world. Which of these experiences do you think is closer to Azerbaijan? And in general, what are your suggestions for the implementation of this project and its subsequent operation as an effective project?

- 'Smart city' projects are applied in world practice. So far, they are called so only by experts in the field. In fact, people do not feel it much in their daily lives. Technological development has not yet reached the required level, and after the introduction of 5G technology, we will have the opportunity to see it better. Experiences, which are similar to the idea of smart villages but an example of good governance, in Europe are too numerous to be counted. These settlements have access to all services and have sustainable economies.