Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
July 26 2004

PRESIDENT’S PRESS SECRETARY HELD BRIEFING ON 2004 FIRST-HALF RESULTS
[July 26, 2004, 22:36:29]

Azerbaijan President’s press secretary Azar Gasymov held on 26 July a
briefing for journalists on the results of the work carried out in
the country during the first six month of 2004 in socio-economic,
cultural and other spheres.

He said, in particular, that since President of the Azerbaijan
Republic Mr. Ilham Aliyev assumed the presidency, the large-scale
work has been carried out to: reinforce the Azerbaijan statehood,
whose foundation had been laid by nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev,
ensure dynamic development of Azerbaijan in political,
socio-economic, cultural and other spheres, provide socio-political
stability, improvement of the population’s welfare and social
conditions of those people who have become refugee and internally
displaced persons, continue successful foreign policy, strengthen the
national army, successively assert the fair stance of Azerbaijan in
the international arena as for the country’s hardest problem – the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The press-secretary has informed the audience on the decrees and
executive orders signed by Mr. Ilham Aliyev since taking over the
presidency in connection with social and economic development of
Azerbaijan and support of entrepreneurship, creating new job
opportunities in the country, development of financial and banking
system, further improvement of social conditions for refugees and
IDPs, as well as the President’s visits to regions and his
familiarization with newly launched enterprises and participation in
the events.

The President’s press secretary finally emphasized that social and
economic development of Azerbaijan and improvement of living
conditions for refugees and IDPs had been marked by the Head of State
as priority directions of his activity. One of the most important
issues is opening new jobs, and the work based on the tasks set by
the President of Azerbaijan in this sphere will be continued in
future, he said.