Statement from the Office of Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the city of Khankendi, and the Aghdara and Khojaly districts

The Office of Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the city of Khankendi, and the Aghdara and Khojaly districts has issued the following statement:

"Following the restoration of its territorial integrity and full sovereignty, the Republic of Azerbaijan, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, continues to take consistent measures to successfully implement large-scale reconstruction and development projects in the liberated territories as well as to resettle returning citizens and provide them with social support.

The Office of the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the city of Khankendi, and the Aghdara and Khojaly districts, fulfills its mandate to ensure the region’s development in line with its set objectives, coordinate the functioning of local government agencies, protect property, ensure the effective use of state property, and oversee urban planning, construction, entrepreneurship activities, and other related activities.

Azerbaijani media continues to comprehensively cover developments and the activities of government institutions in the liberated territories, professionally fulfilling its responsibility to ensure the public is objectively informed. Unfortunately, certain outlets, such as the YouTube channel "Reaksiya TV," disseminate biased content based on false information and without conducting any investigation, thereby attempting to distort public perception of the government's reconstruction and socio-economic development initiatives. A recent example is the case of citizen Safar Valiyaddin oglu Salmanov, who leased the "Khan Araz" restaurant in the city of Khankendi and made unfounded claims, which were then deliberately misrepresented by both the host and the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Sardar Jalaloglu.

In response to the claims voiced by the citizen, we note that the process of reviewing numerous applications submitted to the Organizational Commission – established to regulate the use of state property in the territories liberated as a result of the anti-terror operations carried out by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan – requires time. This process involves evaluating applicants based on set criteria and conducting a competitive selection. However, citizen Safar Salmanov demanded to be declared the winner of the competition without going through these procedures.

After being declared the winner, Safar Salmanov signed a lease agreement on April 25, 2024, with the public legal entity "Center for Organization and Coordination of Corporate Governance" under the State Property Issues Service. At that time, there were no established rental rates or criteria for determining lease payments for non-residential properties in the city of Khankendi. These rates were approved on August 20, 2024 by the Supervisory Board of the public legal entity “Restoration, Construction and Management Service in the city of Khankendi, Aghdara and Khojaly Districts” established in April 2024. Currently, rental fees for non-residential properties in Khankendi, Aghdara, and Khojaly are applied based on these approved rates, without any form of discrimination. The same rules were applied to the "Khan Araz" restaurant, and the citizen was offered a recalculation of the lease fee based on the new criteria. Contrary to the citizen’s claim of a 68-fold increase, the updated lease amount reflects only a 64% rise. Nevertheless, the entrepreneur has unreasonably refused to sign the revised contract, and the facility is currently operating unlawfully.

Moreover, the citizen attempted to carry out unauthorized construction – specifically, the building of a barbecue facility—without observing urban planning and architectural regulations, and without obtaining formal approval from the relevant authorities. Following an explanation of the legal requirements, and with the involvement of the appropriate institutions, the construction was halted. Additionally, the citizen’s claim of having invested 200,000 manats into the facility has not been substantiated. He failed to present supporting documentation, and a comparison between the photos and videos taken when the property was handed over to him and its current condition revealed that the claimed investment amount was significantly exaggerated.

Another regrettable issue is the repeated appearance of ADP Chairman Sardar Jalaloglu on “Reaksiya TV,” where he makes statements that are not only detached from reality but also display ignorance and simplistic reasoning. Apparently, he has either forgotten or assumes others have forgotten the treacherous policies of the Azerbaijan Popular Front-Musavat government, which was responsible for the loss of our lands. That period was marked by lawlessness, anarchy, the rule of armed groups, fuel trading with the occupiers, and corruption and bribery elevated to the level of state policy – when even access to bread became a struggle for the people. It seems Jalaloglu is unaware that the reconstruction of the liberated territories is being carried out in accordance with a State Program. Instead, he promotes disorder in these areas. He also appears to have no knowledge of the favorable conditions and benefits provided by the government to entrepreneurs operating in the liberated territories.

It should be noted that, according to the Tax Code, residents of the territories liberated from occupation have been exempt from income, property, land, and simplified taxes for a period of 10 years starting from January 1, 2023. Additionally, social insurance contributions paid by individual entrepreneurs, family farms, and landshare owners are fully subsidized by the state budget for the same 10-year period. Entrepreneurs engaged in production activities in the liberated territories since that date are also eligible for monthly financial assistance. Specifically, 20 percent of their payments for utility services are reimbursed from the state budget for 10 years, based on applicable tariffs.

As a result of these state incentives and ongoing efforts, a total of 474 properties have been leased in the area, with 299 of them already operational. To date, approximately 45.5 million manats have been invested by private investors in the region. Around 1,900 individuals have been employed at the operational facilities, and once all leased properties are active, the number of jobs is expected to exceed 5,000. Furthermore, over 13,000 people – employees of public and private institutions as well as returnees—have already been resettled in the area.

As seen, the government applies the above-mentioned and other effective incentive mechanisms to support entrepreneurship in the territories liberated from occupation. In return, entrepreneurs are required to strictly comply with national legislation in their operations. It is unacceptable to impose demands that disrupt a fair competitive environment, seek special privileges, or create discriminatory conditions against other entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, despite the favorable conditions provided, some entrepreneurs make such unfounded demands and, when these demands are not met, attempt to spread defamatory and misleading information.

Without seeking the opinion of the other party and unilaterally, in violation of legislation and the “Code of Ethical Conduct for Journalists,” the statements made on “Reaksiya TV” are clearly biased and uninformed allegations. The entire broadcast appears to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and represent nothing more than a disingenuous charade.”