President Aliyev: Goal Is to Strengthen Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur as a New Growth Centre

President Ilham Aliyev said the main goal of the second stage of the State Programme on the Great Return is to expand private investment, permanent employment and export-oriented production, and to strengthen Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur as a new growth centre of the national economy. He made the remarks in an address to participants of the 6th Azerbaijan International "Rebuild Garabagh" exhibition.

He said advanced urban planning and engineering solutions applied in the region offer experience that can be used across Azerbaijan and internationally. He also noted that the 2026 World Urban Forum (WUF13), organised in Baku with the UN Human Settlements Programme, helped present the country's urban planning achievements to the world.

Meanwhile, the Khazar Construction Week, which has started, runs from October 14 to 16 at the Baku Expo Center. It includes four international exhibitions and a parallel one on road infrastructure and public transport, along with panel discussions, innovation sessions and B2B and B2G business meetings.