Latest update · First report ↓
President Ilham Aliyev has addressed participants at the 6th Azerbaijan International Exhibition for the Restoration, Reconstruction and Development of Garabagh, known as Rebuild Garabagh.
“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports that the head of state’s address was read out at the exhibition’s opening ceremony.
First report · Latest update ↑
President Ilham Aliyev has addressed participants at the 6th Azerbaijan International Exhibition for the Restoration, Reconstruction and Development of Garabagh, known as Rebuild Garabagh, in Baku.
“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports that the address said:
I warmly welcome you on the occasion of the opening of the 6th Azerbaijan International Exhibition for the Restoration, Reconstruction and Development of Garabagh, known as Rebuild Garabagh, and wish all participants success.
The Victory won in the 44-day Patriotic War laid the foundation for a new stage of construction and development in Garabagh and East Zangazur. Under the First State Program on the Great Return, our cities and villages are being rebuilt, and the safe return of our compatriots to their ancestral lands is being ensured. Azerbaijan is carrying out this work using its own financial resources. To date, 25.5 billion manats have been allocated from the state budget for restoration and reconstruction.
To ensure the safe implementation of the Great Return, more than 300,000 hectares have been cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance, and more than 40,000 people have returned to 47 settlements. Nearly 100,000 people currently live, study and work in the liberated territories.
Transport infrastructure being built in Garabagh and East Zangazur links settlements with one another and with the country’s unified economic space. Nearly 1,500 kilometers of roads have been built to date, while the 11.7-kilometer Murovdagh Tunnel has become a significant example of engineering and construction in challenging mountainous terrain. International airports in Fuzuli, Zangilan and Lachin have been commissioned. Railway construction is continuing. The Horadiz-Aghband railway line, an important component of the Zangezur Corridor, is of strategic importance for expanding Azerbaijan’s international transport and logistics links.
Energy and water supplies are also being established to support new settlements and production facilities. One new reservoir has been built and five reservoirs restored in the region; 13 substations and 38 hydropower plants with a total capacity of 307 megawatts have been commissioned. Developing Garabagh and East Zangazur as a “green energy zone” is one of the key priorities in building this infrastructure.
Infrastructure development is accompanied by the provision of modern social services in settlements. Forty educational institutions and 20 healthcare facilities have begun operating in the region, as has Garabagh University in Khankendi. The reach of government, banking, postal and communications services is also expanding. Administrative centers built and commissioned in Lachin, Zangilan, Fuzuli and Aghdam enable social security, employment and other services to be provided to residents promptly in a single location.
Infrastructure development is complemented by the restoration of Garabagh’s and East Zangazur’s historical and cultural character. Restoring historical, cultural and religious monuments damaged or destroyed during the occupation, and creating modern tourism infrastructure, help preserve the region’s rich heritage, revive its cultural and spiritual life, and realize its tourism potential.
The region’s revival also includes addressing the environmental consequences of the occupation. During the occupation, 54,300 hectares of forest were destroyed, and soil and water resources were polluted. To date, 600 hectares of forest land have been restored. Restoring forests and aquatic ecosystems, and applying construction solutions resilient to the effects of climate change, are particularly important for the region’s long-term development.
The main goal of the second phase of the next stage of the State Program on the Great Return is to further expand private investment, permanent employment and export-oriented production by building on the opportunities created, and to strengthen the position of Garabagh and East Zangazur as a new growth center in the national economy. Advanced urban planning and engineering solutions applied in the region are generating experience that can be used not only in other parts of Azerbaijan but internationally as well.
In this regard, the successful hosting of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku in 2026, organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, helped present Azerbaijan’s achievements in urban planning internationally and strengthen its position in global dialogue.
The Rebuild Garabagh and BakuBuild exhibitions, held as part of Caspian Construction Week, provide broad opportunities to share this experience, showcase new technologies and establish business partnerships. I am confident that these partnerships will also translate into concrete projects and make a significant contribution to the Great Return and the region’s long-term development.
I wish the exhibition success and each of you further achievements in your work.
