A meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the first half of current year

   On July 10 President Ilham Aliyev chaired the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the results of socioeconomic development in the first half of 2014 and objectives for the future. The head of state made an opening speech at the meeting: “I can say that the successful development of our country was provided in the first half of the year. All the objectives on our agenda were successfully achieved. There are no outstanding issues. Of course, this gives grounds to say that all our tasks will be fulfilled by the end of the year and the dynamic and successful development of our country will be continued.

   In the first half of the year our economic indicators are also very positive – the economy has grown by 2.1 per cent. Perhaps this is not such a high figure as compared to previous periods. But against the backdrop of the economic hardship experienced in the world, the region and Europe today, I think this is a very good indicator. The most gratifying thing is – and I mention this with a sense of joy – that our non-oil sector has been growing in recent years, and the growth here has been at a rate of 7 per cent.”

   Head of state also noted that by the end of the year all the issues we are facing will be resolved and Azerbaijan will finish 2014 with a great success: “In the next six months we should certainly try to complete all the planned infrastructure projects. A great job was done in this direction in recent years, but there is still much to do, especially when we consider that the country is not facing any financial problems. As I said in my opening remarks, we have a good financial situation and there is enough money. Therefore, there should be no delays in the implementation of infrastructure projects. The main conditions here are quality and pace. Of course, all relevant agencies should pay serious attention to quality. We need to ensure that all funds are expended at the appropriate level.”

   President also spoke about implementation of drinking water and sanitation projects:

   “Drinking water and sanitation projects are implemented throughout the country, including Baku. Major investment is made from the state budget and loans are provided. Several such projects have already been completed in our city. I have also participated in their opening. During conversations with people I saw a positive attitude towards this. People who had been experiencing difficulties due to the poor quality of water for many years now have uninterrupted and round-the-clock supply of water that complies with the standards of the World Health Organization. We need to build drinking water lines to all our cities. At the same time, we supply drinking water to the villages too. Both "Azersu" and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources are building water treatment plants of modular type in villages located along rivers.About half a million people living in such territories are now provided with clean drinking water.”