AZE.US
REAL party chairman Natig Jafarli said in an interview on Prime TV that Baku and the Absheron peninsula have become overloaded because too much of Azerbaijan’s economic activity, jobs and business opportunities were concentrated in one place.
Jafarli argued that the problem goes beyond traffic or the visible pressure on the city. In his view, the deeper issue is a development model that pulled people, capital and opportunity into Baku while failing to build comparable conditions in other parts of the country.
He said this imbalance cannot be fixed without broader economic reforms. According to Jafarli, real economic freedom requires more than formal legislation. He linked business development to a functioning court system, fair competition and a climate in which small and medium-sized entrepreneurs can operate without structural pressure from larger interests or state-backed entities.
Jafarli also criticized what he described as a pattern in which officials publicly acknowledge problems in their sectors but do not present clear solutions. He said admitting difficulties is not enough unless it is followed by a concrete plan and real accountability.
Speaking about congestion in and around the capital, Jafarli said the increase in the number of cars should not automatically be treated as the core problem. He argued that rising car ownership could just as easily reflect an improvement in living standards. The real failure, he said, is that housing construction and economic concentration in Baku and Absheron moved ahead without matching upgrades in roads, logistics and infrastructure.
He said the country’s main economic opportunities are now effectively centered in Baku and Absheron, leaving little room for balanced regional growth. In his view, the capital cannot be meaningfully relieved unless the government removes barriers for business and creates stronger economic conditions outside the main urban core.
Jafarli also called for a smaller and more effective model of government, saying Azerbaijan has a population capable of adapting, working and building businesses in difficult environments, but that the domestic system still does not provide enough space for that energy to develop freely.