Azerbaijani Finance Minister Avaz Alakbarov met here yesterday a delegation of the Islamic Development Bank headed by its president Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Ali. During the meeting, they reviewed the fruitful cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Islamic Development Bank and the economic policy of Azerbaijan to bring market relations in line with international standards. A report of "AzerTAj" news agency said the Finance Minister briefed the IDB President on the macro-economic situation of Azerbaijan and reported that his country's GDP rose by 10 percent in comparison with the last year and per capita income was higher than inflation rate. Alakbarov noted that the state's 2005 budget increased by 25.3 percent against that of 2004 and the non-oil sector development in Azerbaijan is the result of the successful economic policy of Azerbaijani government. On his part, Ahmad Mohammad Ali lauded the government's policy to develop non-oil sector as the necessary tool to reduce poverty in the country. The IDB president expressed his satisfaction with the ways the IDB-funded projects had been realized in Azerbaijan.
