2020 shall be remembered as a 12 months of superb victory in Azerbaijan. After almost thirty years, the nation liberated the territories that it misplaced to Armenia through the Nineteen Nineties, referred to as Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan made seemingly gentle work of this spectacular navy victory. It took simply 44 days for the nation, with assist from navy ally Turkey, to carry an finish to a battle that a few of the world’s most influential diplomatic powers had did not successfully mediate for nearly three a long time.
That is clearly a supply of nice delight. After the victory, Azerbaijan put its navy would possibly on show by the streets of Baku. 3,000 navy personnel and over 100 items of navy gear paraded the streets of the capital metropolis, witnessed by scores of Azerbaijanis, and overseen by Presidents Aliyev and Erdogan.
However the brand new 12 months brings new challenges, and one huge query – what comes after navy victory?
The following stage for the Nagorno-Karabakh area has been neatly coined because the ‘three Rs’: re-construction, re-integration, and re-population. The slogan would possibly sound easy, however the actuality shall be removed from it. Victory on this area will take for much longer than 44 days, however Azerbaijan has began outlining a promising imaginative and prescient.
Following the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh, senior Azerbaijani figures accused the Armenian authorities of ‘urbicide’, shocked to see the extent of destruction that had befallen their properties, cultural monuments, and even the pure setting. That is most seen in Aghdam, a majority Azerbaijani metropolis nicknamed the Hiroshima of the Caucasus as a result of Armenian forces methodically destroyed each single considered one of its buildings within the Nineteen Nineties, besides the mosque.
Though reconstruction from this place is not going to be simple, if Azerbaijan can harness the potential of the land, it’s going to most actually be price it.
Nagorno-Karabakh has already been touted as the subsequent hotspot for the Azerbaijani agricultural and manufacturing industries – however what is probably extra attention-grabbing are the federal government’s proposals to drive vacationers to the area.
Plans have begun for the development of an airport within the re-captured Fizuli disctrict, work to develop a motorway between Fizuli and Shusha is underway, and the federal government intends to construct a number of vacationer centres all through Nagorno-Karabakh.
The aim is to draw vacationers from throughout Azerbaijan, and overseas, by shining a light-weight on the various cultural websites of significance within the area, together with Shusha, the Azykh cave and elements of town of Hadrut.
Alongside present websites, there are additional plans to develop cultural life with literary festivals, museums, and live performance venues.
After all, in the long run, this has the potential to carry vital revenue to the area, however first, reconstruction requires funding. Already, the 2021 Azerbaijani state finances has allotted $1.3 billion for restoration and reconstruction work within the Karabakh area, however the authorities goals to attract worldwide funding to bolster their funds.
It’s hoped that regional companions, equivalent to Turkey and Russia, shall be enticed by the prospects of regional growth.
A well-connected Nagorno-Karabakh can be utilized to type commerce routes that might carry vital investments into the Caucasus area. Mockingly, one of many international locations that might profit from this most is Armenia.
Within the rapid aftermath of the battle, the potential for financial co-operation between the 2 international locations appears unlikely, however in time it may go some solution to help with the realisation of the second ‘R’, re-integration.
Ethnic re-conciliation is likely one of the best challenges in any publish battle scenario. The Azerbaijani authorities have dedicated to making sure that Armenian residents are protected according to their constitutional rights and have promised to supply any Armenian’s who want to stay in Nagorno-Karabakh Azerbaijani passports, and the rights that come together with them.
However this alone is not going to be sufficient to construct the arrogance that’s wanted for Azerbaijanis and Armenians to dwell in peace, facet by facet. Wounds are nonetheless recent. Azerbaijanis know that constructing the belief that can allow re-integration will take time. However there’s purpose to be optimistic.
Officers and analysts typically level to Azerbaijan’s confirmed observe file of multicultural co-existence as promise for the prospects of re-integration. Just lately, the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Azerbaijan wrote within the Occasions of London about his expertise taking on publish in a Muslim majority nation the place the Jewish group is “thriving”.
What’s more likely to be a a lot simpler activity for the Azerbaijani authorities is the ultimate ‘R’, repopulation.
Azerbaijan has amongst the very best variety of Internally Displaced Folks (IDPs) on this planet. Over 600,000 Azerbaijanis had been compelled to go away their properties, both in Nagorno-Karabakh or in Armenia, after the primary Karabakh Struggle.
For nearly all of them, the area stays residence, and they’re determined to return residence, however they depend on reconstruction earlier than they’ll achieve this. That’s exactly why the three Rs represent a virtuous cycle that Azerbaijani leaders are setting in movement.
Azerbaijan shocked many with their navy victory, and so they intend to shock the world once more with their skill to ship the situations of lasting peace within the area.