Ismayilli, November 2, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have visited Lahij settlement as part of their trip to Ismayilli district.

The head of state and the First Lady toured the settlement and talked to residents.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Hello, it is a pleasure to see you.

Resident: Hello, you are welcome. You are always welcome. On behalf of the people of Lahij and on our own behalf, thank you and we say to you - “You are welcome”.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Female resident: Thank you very much for returning our beautiful Karabakh to us.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much.

Woman resident: And this is your gift.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you, thank you very much, our Kharibulbul.

Female resident: May Allah be pleased with you and grant you good health.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you very much.

Residents: You are welcome.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Hello, it is a pleasure to see you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. How are you?

Male resident: I wish you continued success. You restored our dignity in the 44-day war. May Allah be pleased with you. You have raised us to this high place among all nations. Our soldiers showed great courage and became martyrs. Your victory in the field of information accounts for half of our great victory. I wish you and Mehriban khanim great success and good health.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. Just one year ago now, battles were underway.

Male resident: Yes, the enemy and the reporters were astonished. You graduated from Mr. Heydar Aliyev's academy.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. How are things in your village? Is everything good?

Male resident: Good.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello.

Male resident: Mr. President, welcome, you are always welcome.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, what do you sell?

Male resident: This is Lahij thyme. It consists of a mixture of 33 herbs. This is a lemon-flavored thyme. This is chamomile, and this rosehip - a good remedy for coughing. And this is rumex of Lahij.

President Ilham Aliyev: Did you collect them all from these mountains?

Male resident: Yes, Mr. President.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello.

Female resident: Hello, you are welcome. You are welcome, Mehriban khanim. How are you?

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, how are you?

Female resident: Thanks to you, we live very well. We are very glad that you have taken our lands. There is Allah above us and there is you on the ground. We love you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you very much.

Female resident: Please accept our gift. This is a kelaghayi [headscarf] from Basgal.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you, thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: As you may know, work is underway in Basgal.

Female resident: Yes, a new road is opening on our side. We are proud of you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Basgal will be like Lahij, full of tourists.

Female resident: Inshallah. May Allah be pleased with you. May Allah protect you. Now we have a lot of tourists.

President Ilham Aliyev: There are many from the Shamakhi road.

Female resident: Yes, it's a new road.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Are tourists coming?

Resident: There are many tourists. There are a lot on Saturdays and Sundays, but not so many on weekdays.

Another female resident: We are very happy that you have liberated Karabakh.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much.

Female resident: Thank you, may Allah protect you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

Male resident: Welcome, dear Mr. President and Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva. We congratulate you, all the people of Azerbaijan on the upcoming anniversary of our victory. We express our endless gratitude to you for your great attention to Lahij.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. You know, we have been to Lahij many times, and today we have come to the reopening of the mosque.

Male resident: May Allah help you. May Allah always be with you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Thank you very much.

Another male resident: Mr. President, welcome, the people of Lahij are proud of you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much.

Another male resident: May Allah be pleased with you.

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A picture was taken.

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Female resident: Thank you very much. May Allah bless you all. May Allah always be with you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you, goodbye.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Goodbye.

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President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva then viewed the restoration and repair work carried out at Badoyun Mosque in Lahij.

When First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva visited Lahij settlement, Ismayilli district in 2019, the residents appealed for the repair of the Badoyun Mosque. The First Vice-President familiarized herself with the situation in the mosque and instructed to carry out a major overhaul.

Assistant to the Azerbaijani President Anar Alakbarov said that built in 1791, the Badoyun Mosque and the surrounding areas have been restored and reconstructed with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. As a result of the work, the mosque was restored to its original state.

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Akhund of the mosque: Hello, welcome.

President Ilham Aliyev: Hello. Nice to meet you.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva: Hello. It is nice to meet you.

Akhund of the mosque: Mr. President, please accept this from us by the community of Lahij and Ismayilli.

The head of state was presented with a Holy Quran.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much, thank you.

Male resident: Thank you very much.

President Ilham Aliyev: How many mosques are there in Lahij?

Male resident: Five of this level.

President Ilham Aliyev: What is the situation like in those mosques?

Male resident: They are in as good condition.

President Ilham Aliyev: Are they all open?

Male resident: Yes, all of them are open.

President Ilham Aliyev: Was this discovered during the repairs?

Male resident: Archeological excavations were carried out During the repairs and this was discovered.

President Ilham Aliyev: It is interesting. It seems that there was an ancient temple here.