President Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan’s robust economy enables the pursuit of an independent foreign policy

“Azerbaijan’s robust economy enables the pursuit of an independent foreign policy,” said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the Summit of the United Nations Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA), Report informs.

“In the last 20 years, Azerbaijan’s GDP has grown by four times. Budget revenues have increased by 30 times and foreign trade turnover by more than 10 times. Azerbaijan’s direct foreign debt currently accounts for 10 percent of its GDP. Foreign exchange reserves exceed our direct foreign debt by 10 times. The poverty level has dropped from 50 to 5.5 percent,” the Azerbaijani leader noted.