Aliyev says Azerbaijan allocated $15 billion to Karabakh reconstruction

Azerbaijan allocated 25.5 billion manats, about $15 billion, from its budget in 2020–2026 to rebuild Karabakh and East Zangezur, President Ilham Aliyev said on October 14.

In a message to the Rebuild Garabagh exhibition in Baku, Aliyev said the work was funded from the country’s own resources under the Great Return programme. He linked reconstruction to the outcome of the 44-day war in autumn 2020.

He said more than 300,000 hectares had been cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance, allowing over 40,000 people to return to 47 settlements. Around 100,000 people now live, study or work in the territories, he added. That broader figure includes more than returning residents.

According to the message, one reservoir has been built and five restored. Energy infrastructure includes 13 commissioned substations and 38 hydroelectric plants with combined capacity of 307 megawatts.

Aliyev also highlighted continuing railway construction, describing the Horadiz–Agband line as part of the Zangezur corridor and an important link for international transport.

The programme’s second stage, covering 2027–2030, is intended to attract more private investment, expand permanent employment and develop export-oriented production using the infrastructure already created.