Baku, October 21, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Hasanov as he submitted his resignation letter.

President Ilham Aliyev said: Dear Ali muallim, today you tendered your resignation. In the request, you ask to be relieved of your post. I want to thank you very much for your contribution to the development of our country. Over the years, you have played an active role in the comprehensive development of Azerbaijan. You were nominated by great leader Heydar Aliyev. You were appointed to high positions back in Soviet times. In the years of independence, you have been Deputy Prime Minister for 21 years and under my leadership for the last 16 years. Of course, the high trust placed in you suggests that you did a good job. But, of course, life does not stand still. A new prime minister has been appointed, new tasks have been set for the Cabinet of Ministers. In addition, you have reached retirement age, you are 71 years old, and, of course, I think that you are setting a good example by giving way to younger people. I hope that this will serve as a good example for other people represented in the government team. At the same time, you are playing an active role in the public and political life, and on my recommendation the New Azerbaijan Party has honored you with the position of deputy chairman. This is a high assessment of your work and a sign of great trust in you both on my part and on the part of party members. I am sure that as a reliable member of the team you will continue your work. I believe that there is a need for more activity in the party. On my instructions, additional steps should be taken to improve the activities of the New Azerbaijan Party. You have recently been heavily actively involved in this, making trips to the regions. In the notes you are sending me, you provide information about the situation in the regions and put forward proposals related to the upcoming work.

Thank you very much again for many years of work for the benefit of Azerbaijan. I want to express my confidence that you will contribute to the public and political life of our country in the future too.

Ali Hasanov: Thank you very much, dear Mr. President. Let me express my deep gratitude to you for receiving me. Indeed, of the 51 years of experience, I worked under the leadership of great leader Heydar Aliyev for 20 years and over the past 16 years under your leadership. Your words about me are the highest possible assessment. What more could there be?! For a person who worked under the leadership of a great leader for 20 years and under the leadership of the President of the country, dear Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who has taken a worthy place among presidents of the world, who has no equal, for 16 years – to receive such an assessment from such a President – what more can there be?! Work under the guidance of the great leader and under your leadership is the greatest good for me. I am Aliyev’s follower and will remain as such until the end of my life. What could be better than such words spoken by the President of the country about an official? What could be better than such an assessment of the work done?!

President Ilham Aliyev: You deserve that, Ali muallim. I am saying this quite sincerely. Of course, in a day-to-day format, the President may express rather critical thoughts, which is only natural. But I evaluate the activities of every person and official objectively, and the words I have said about you are perfectly true.

Ali Hasanov: This is your greatness. You are showing again that you are the guarantor for every citizen of Azerbaijan. I am also a citizen of Azerbaijan, and you are demonstrating this once again. You have implemented reforms in all areas. Yes, we must give way to the younger generation. Great leader Heydar Aliyev also took such steps. Today, the policy of great leader Heydar Aliyev continues in all directions. Underlying all this, at the heart of everything we have achieved, of course, lies the policy of great leader Heydar Aliyev. Praise be to Allah that you, too, are doing this with dignity and great skill. You are promoting Azerbaijan all over the world. Look at the work Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva is doing. Mehriban Aliyeva is a lady possessing the highest qualities, humanism, the highest political qualities. Mehriban Aliyeva has raised the Azerbaijani woman to the highest peak. Thanks to you, the whole world talks about Azerbaijan today. How can you not see this? Those who are in opposition are going out of their way, say whatever they want in order to justify the funds they receive, to write them off. All the people of Azerbaijani should express an attitude towards such bias. Everyone should express a position.

Thank you very much again for receiving me today and for the kind words you said about me. Just as the results of the work carried out by the great leader are clearly visible today, the results of your work will be even more clearly visible every year, after 10, 50 years. Therefore, thank you very much again. Thank you!

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, Ali muallim!