AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT REVIEWS REGIONAL ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Ilham Aliyev on February 11 addressed a conference on implementation of the state program for development of Azerbaijan's rural regions, 1news.az and day.az reported. He said implementation of the program was a major factor in doubling GDP since 2004 and in reducing poverty. Aliyev also noted that in line with his 2003 election campaign promise, some 650,000 new jobs have been created over the past four years. He stressed the need to develop the non-oil-and-gas sector, and pledged that government support for small businesses will continue, as will the process of providing permanent accommodation for persons forced to flee their homes during the fighting over Karabakh in 1992-93. Also on February 11, Ali Gasanov, who chairs the State Committee for Work with Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Persons, said those persons will be moved to better accommodation over the next three to four years, day.az reported. Gasanov said 11,000 displaced persons are still housed in schools and 6,000 in military barracks. He added that the daily subsistence allowance for displaced persons will be raised to nine manats ($10.66) and the state will provide 67 million manats this year to cover those costs. LF

RFE/RL Newsline, Tuesday, February 12, 2008 Volume 12 Number 29