Separatist Karabakh premier regrets Azeri absence from youth forum

Arminfo, Yerevan
19 Nov 04

STEPANAKERT

The fact that the republic has not been recognized makes it impossible
to cooperate with international financial organizations, foreign banks
and developed countries, the prime minister of the Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic, Anushavan Daniyelyan, told a visiting delegation of
representatives of youth organizations from Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria,
Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Georgia and
Armenia yesterday.

He said that half of Nagornyy Karabakh was destroyed as a result of
hostilities. The process of restoring and reforming the destroyed
Nagornyy Karabakh economy is progressing in very difficult
conditions. However, it has been possible to create a liberal economy
in Nagornyy Karabakh, the process of reforms has covered all spheres
and many of them are experiencing a quantitative and qualitative
change for the better, Daniyelyan said.

He expressed his regret over the absence of Azerbaijani youth from
Stepanakert.

“We need to solve our problems with Azerbaijan at all levels,
including the assistance of people’s diplomacy, and the attraction of
youth is necessary,” he said.

Speaking about the socioeconomic situation in Nagornyy Karabakh, the
prime minister said a programme of economic reforms aimed at free
market relations and based on the equality of all ownership types and
economic liberalization priorities had been under way since 2000,
which has helped boost the economy and ensure a significant growth in
the population’s income. Macroeconomic indices suggest that the
economic reforms of the last few years have been effective and have
produced the anticipated results. In 1999, the government introduced a
new tax policy. The income tax stake was lowered from 25 to 15 per
cent, to 10 per cent in 2000, and to 5 per cent in 2001, which is
still in effect. In 2003, industrial growth in the republic exceeded
40 per cent. Foreign investment commands almost two thirds of the
industrial growth. The amount of foreign investment over the last few
years is approaching 50m dollars. Among major investors are the USA,
Russia, Lebanon, Belgium, Switzerland, Iran, France, Australia,
etc. Not a single foreign enterprise has suffered a failure in
Nagornyy Karabakh so far, Anushavan Daniyelyan said.

[Passage omitted: other industrial and agricultural statistics]

Anushavan Daniyelyan added that the USA is the only country providing
assistance to Nagornyy Karabakh at the state level. Most of US
humanitarian assistance is spent on restoring the residential
settlements and other important sites of the republic destroyed during
the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress