V. SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE UPPER KARABAKHA CONFLICTAzerbaijan – damage suffered and opportunities missedAfter reestablishing its independence in 1991, the Republic of Azerbaijan experienced a drastic decline in its economic production. GDP decreased annually by 13-20% and in 1994, according to data from the International Monetary Fund, GDP with the official exchange rate reached $2.258 billion, indicating that the national economy was significantly weakened. The war with Armenia as well as the deterioration of trade relations with other former Soviet republics are obviously among the main factors of this economic decline. Here are some statistics on the material losses and socio-economic damage caused to Azerbaijan and its occupied territories as a result of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan: State agencies, NGOs and local authorities Azerbaijani authorities kept a very strict quantitative register. material losses. The total area of ​​the occupied territories is one-fifth of the territory of Azerbaijan, or 13,210 square kilometers - Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts. The occupied regions of Azerbaijan were almost completely destroyed and pillaged. Serious economic damage was also inflicted on four regions of Azerbaijan bordering Armenia, four regions adjacent to the line of contact and the territories of the administrative regions of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Since the start of the war, more than 877 settlements have been burned and destroyed: more than 150,000 houses and apartments (over 9.1 million square kilometers) have been destroyed and looted and around 1 million people have been forced to leave their home and became refugees. and internally displaced people... middle of document... good figures exist, the overall population is roughly estimated... "Some parts of the report demonstrate the lack of reliable and precise figures estimating the economic and social disaster either due to limited access to the occupied zone or the reluctance of the international assessment mission to reveal objective information The painful side of the case, sometimes neglected, is that of the ordinary citizens who were the first victims of the serious consequences of the conflict. and their situation which continues to deteriorate. If the endless negotiations tire politicians, they continue to hurt ordinary citizens by eliminating any glimmer of hope. This trend seriously undermines the confidence of all population groups. , encouraging them to seek other means of settlement declared inappropriate by the international community..