May 28, 2020 - On Independence Day, President Ilham Aliyev gave the IDPs in the "Gobu Park-3" residential complex the keys of their apartments, and for the first time, he inaugurated the production enterprises established in the area where the refugees and IDPs reside, providing many with the joy of long-term employment.
"Like all former IDPs, I was ecstatic that day. Now I was able to support myself in this enormous residential complex while working a permanent job and living in a comfortable, well-appointed apartment.
However, I would never have thought that, in just five months, Mr. President Ilham Aliyev would honor IDPs the with the greatest joy of our lives, permanently end our thirty-year yearning for the homeland once and for all. We cannot thank enough our president Mr. Ilham Aliyev for his unwavering attention and care, as well as for the Victory we had been dreaming of for many years..."
Sujaat Hatamova, our interlocutor at the "Gill Med" CJSC, which started operating in the "Gobu Park-3" residential complex with the support of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA), reflected on these thoughts...
61-year-old Ms. Sujaat from the village of Arazmashanli, Jabrayil, started working here as a tailor when the enterprise was opened and eventually rose to the position of a chief foreman. She says that having the opportunity to practice for her career in her hometown was fantastic: "Still, I am looking forward to the day when I will return to Jabrayil soon. Just like here, our state creates all conditions for us to start a new life in our ancestral lands..."
Social side of business
Significant efforts have been made over the past 20 years to ensure the employment of internally displaced people and improve their living conditions under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. Up until September 2020, using socially and publicly significant facilities on important days and holidays with the attendance of the head of state has grown to be a pleasant habit for them. Currently, settlements are being established in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, new infrastructure is being built, and necessary opportunities are being created for the employment of the returning IDPs.
In 2020, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the opening of "Gill Med" CJSC, which was established to ensure employment for IDPs through business projects under the cooperation and support of KOBİA and the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. The project stands out by not only its social significance, but also its business goals as well. Thus, this enterprise produces goods that are competitive and could eventually replace imports. Investing in the state-of-art equipment for the enterprise ensures the production of high-quality and competitive products. The enterprise, which was founded three years ago for the production of medical textiles, sterile surgical sets and uniforms, now offers over 80 different product lines on the market.
Since "Gill Med" is a social project as well as business, 95 percent of the staff working here are residents of "Gobu Park-3", the majority of whom are women. At the moment, the enterprise employs more than 100 employees. It is noteworthy that in 2022, the first production enterprise "Gill Med" sewing factory started operating with the support of KOBİA in Aghali village of Zangilan district, which is the beginning of the Great return to the liberated territories. In May, President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva got acquainted with the production process of the "Gill Med" sewing factory in Aghali village. With 30 workers, this sewing factory was established on the principles of a public-private partnership. It manufactures medical textile products, such as medical masks, caps, and uniforms. The Jabrayil village of Jojug Marjanli is another proud address of "Gill Med". The new medical equipment production facility started operating here six months ago, employing twelve workers.
The goal is export
"After more than three years of operation, we have nearly quadrupled our company goals and plans. Without a doubt, this has to do with access to the sales market, investments, state support for investments, and other crucial matters.” According to Rustam Mammadov, head of the enterprise, they operate in three directions: they produce medical sanitary clothing, non-medical sanitary clothing, and provide embroidery service.
He pointed out that employees working with utmost enthusiasm in the enterprises in Aghali, Jojug Marjanli have made significant progress: "For instance, we used to invite specialists from Türkiye to manufacture masks. However, the housewives from Aghali, who had no prior expertise in this line of work, quickly picked it up and started to operate the mask machine on their own. "
Primary goal of the enterprise in 2024 is the export of products overseas, and they are currently working toward this goal by aiming to export to Türkiye.
There are sections such as "Tailoring and cutting", "Manufacturing of sterilized sets", "Shoe cover production", "Packaging" and others.
In the "Tailor" department, ladies in blue uniforms and white headscarf work behind modern sewing machines and eagerly sewed white, green, and blue medical kits. During our conversation with the chief foreman, he praised his staff and mentioned that every woman working here is a master who knows her job very well and finishes chores quickly.
"My workplace is very convenient because it is close to our house"
27-year-old Nijat Ahmadov from Horadiz settlement of Fuzuli district, who performs cutting work at the enterprise, said that cutting is the most important task in textiles. You need to draw the proper shape in line with the supplied size on the fabric and perform cutting. A small error might ruin the whole work. That is why I strive to execute my job responsibly and decently.
The "Sterilized sets production unit" is closed to outsiders. All the ladies working here are dressed in formal clothes and have headscarves on. To ensure that not even a single thread taints the manufactured goods, this area is cleaned multiple times a day. Surgery sets, such as "general surgery", "eye" and so on, are gathered in this section. Then those goods are packaged and delivered to the "sterile room". Goods are sterilized in this specific room. After a day, it is packaged and delivered to enterprises for use.
The head of the sterile department, 34-year-old Fatima Lalashova, a resident of Garadaghli village, Aghdam district, has been employed here for more than a year. She particularly underlined how handy it is for this enterprise to be close to her house: "My employment is both highly exciting and comes with the responsibility and I try my best to cope with it."
43-year-old Lamiya Karimova, a resident of Shahveli village of Jabrayil district, has been working in this enterprise for three years. She uses a specialized machine to emboss and logo on goods. She also mentioned that she does her job with a great enthusiasm.
In addition, this enterprise manufactures shoe covers, examination tablecloths and polyethylene. About 10 former IDPs were employed at the production site.
"President Ilham Aliyev has given us the worlds"
When we visited the "Kharibulbul" carpet weaving enterprise of "Gill Med", the ladies sitting behind the rows of looms were eagerly putting the next vibrant loops on the carpets they were weaving. We learned that the carpet weavers are currently weaving the "Zeiva" carpet, which exhibits lakes of Shirvan district and will complete in two months. The supervising carpet technologist Jahan Gadirov informed that the carpet-making enterprise started operating by weaving the carpets of Karabakh - "Malibeyli", "Gasimushagi", "Chalabi", and “Nalbaki".
Our interlocutor, Sevil Gambarova from Aghdam district, said that she has more than 40 years of carpet weaving experience. At one time, he was a weaver and then a foreman in a carpet factory in Aghdam, and he worked in several carpet shops in Baku. After moving to "Gobu Park-3", he started working at "Kharibulbul" carpet weaving enterprise.
It was a miracle of God that in November 2020, when Ms. Sevil was weaving the carpet for Aghdam Juma mosque, she heard the news that her homeland was liberated from occupation. In addition, at that very moment, the elderly woman's tears of delight blended with the loops she had weaved and began to fall like rain onto Aghdam Juma Mosque on the carpet....
"We former IDPs have always felt the attention and care of President Ilham Aliyev. We were given a place to live and provided with employment by our state. However, by liberating our territories, our triumphant President Ilham Aliyev gave us the entire world. We are going back to our ancestral lands today. In addition, I am also looking forward to the day when I will visit Aghdam".
See you in Karabakh and East Zangezur...
The grandmother and father-in-law of 48-year-old weaver Khoshbakht Kazimova from Meshali village of Khojaly were martyred when their village was occupied. Ms. Khoshbakht says her family has experienced really difficult times, but from a financial standpoint, working at this organization was a huge help: "I started working here from the day it was established, and I acquired the skill of carpet weaving at "Kharibulbul" carpet weaving enterprise. We are grateful that Ilham Aliyev, our head of state, made it possible for us to work in this residential complex. Now we are able to support our family and children by working here." Ms. Khoshbakht said that when she heard the news of Khojaly being liberated from occupation, she was imbued with the feelings that she cannot describe in words: "I was both happy and crying. I spent my entire childhood and youth there. That is also where I had my best and worst days. However, those dark days are in the past. The good times for Khojaly are finally here. My fondest wish is that the horrors and tragedies we had endured will never befall our infants, kids, or young adults."
We got to find out about the the business process of “Gill Med” enterprise, which is a socially oriented business project that started operating in the "Gobu Park-3" residential complex, albeit for a short time. We engaged in conversation with a large number of former IDPs working in the production of medical sutures and carpet weavers about their professions, and we listened to their memories of their past days, and most importantly, we shared the joy of going back to their homeland...
Moreover, we bade farewell to to the members of the professional, smiling, kind "Gill Med" family, hoping to cross paths with them soon in Karabakh and East Zangezur...
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