Baku, October 3 (AZERTAC). President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of the Heydar Aliyev Center in the city of Khirdalan.

There are photos, exhibits and books reflecting the national leader`s life and activities in different periods.

President Ilham Aliyev cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the Center.

The head of state reviewed photos describing different periods of the national leader`s life and activities.

It was noted that there were interactive displays and a museum in the building. All exhibition rooms are fitted with the necessary equipment. The Center has discussion halls for youth, an electronic library, an exhibition hall, a drawing room, a photo studio, a dance hall and a 280-seat auditorium.

President Ilham Aliyev then met with representatives of the local public.

President Ilham Aliyev said:

- First of all, I want to congratulate you on the upcoming Eid al-Adha and wish all residents of Absheron District and the Azerbaijani people happiness and continued success. Today, on the eve of this wonderful holiday, we are inaugurating this magnificent center together. The Heydar Aliyev Center is pleasing to the eye both in terms of its appearance and interior design. It is a beautiful building. It has videos, photos and an interactive display, all describing the life and work of the great leader. It is a beautiful facility built at a modern level. The area around the center has also been landscaped and decorated.

I remember visiting here in the past, and I can see that a lot has been done in Absheron District in general and in Khirdalan in particular. After Khirdalan was granted the status of a city, development here went even faster. Khirdalan is a beautiful and modern city now. Buildings are constructed and restored here. At the same time, roads and social facilities are built. The Flag Square has already been created. In other words, the development of Khirdalan has been very rapid in recent years. Very much has been done in the district. Roads, schools and hospitals are built. I want to say again that all this pleases me a lot because our main development direction is associated with the social sphere.

Creative work is carried out in all our regions and districts, cities are improving, and so are the living standards of our people. Our main goal is to make our country and our international standing even stronger and create a better life for our people.

The foundation of our successful development was laid precisely by great leader Heydar Aliyev. Since 1993 to the present day, we have been only on the path of development. Therefore, on the eve of this dear holiday we cherish the memory of the great leader. On the example of Absheron District we are seeing the economic and social reforms under way in Azerbaijan. In general, the rapid development of our country manifests itself everywhere. I am confident that in the coming years too, the development of Absheron District will be rapid, all problems will be resolved and social issues will continue to be addressed.

Absheron District is already a large district with a population of about 400,000 people. Khirdalan is also a big city with a population of 150,000 people. Of course, the future development of the city should also be in the spotlight. The demographic situation in Azerbaijan is very good – the population is increasing and cities are growing. A special future development plan of our cities should be drawn up to show the directions in which cities show go.

Of course, at the heart of our successes is our thought-out policy. Two weeks ago we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the "Contract of the Century." If the "Contract of the Century" had not been signed at the time, it would be impossible to talk about any success now. The development of our oil and gas sector and the proper distribution of incomes have helped us achieve this. The reports of authoritative international organizations praise the work carried out in Azerbaijan in this field.

The Fourth International Humanitarian Forum started in Baku yesterday. The participating guests, representatives of international organizations and government officials praised the development Azerbaijan has achieved. In their speeches, they gave a positive assessment to the work carried out in Azerbaijan in the social sphere, in particular in the area of poverty reduction, and cited Azerbaijan as an example. This is really the case. Over the last 10 years, there was no other country in the world that would achieve economic development as rapid as in Azerbaijan. All this is being done for the well-being of the people.

The international positions of our country are strengthening. A lot is also being done in the social sphere. The forum that started yesterday has already become a unique platform for discussions on a global scale. This has been done by us. Azerbaijan today is the economic and cultural center of the region, and all this has been created by us. All this has been created by the hard work of the Azerbaijani people. We appreciate that, and our future will also be very successful. The ongoing infrastructure projects and the implementation of the third state program on the socioeconomic development of regions, which will be completed by 2018, will provide us with additional opportunities to ensure that there are no outstanding infrastructure projects in Azerbaijan by then.

As for Absheron District, as I have said, things are going fast in the social sphere too. At the same time, extensive improvement work is under way. The appearance of Khirdalan has completely changed. Now it is a beautiful and modern city, and this is the way it should be. All our cities should be beautiful. The Azerbaijani people deserve that. Our work is aimed at ensuring that there are even better results in every sphere.

Several facilities are scheduled for opening today. They are also very important. New opportunities are opening up for Khirdalan, and I am confident that the rapid development of Absheron District and indeed our country as a whole should go even faster. And it will.

I would like to note once again that Azerbaijan’s successes are appreciated by the most representative international organizations, and our experience is studied by other countries now. This has been done by us.

The purpose of my visit to Absheron District today is to meet with you and take part in the opening of new facilities. We are celebrating the opening of this majestic center. Of course, additional measures related to the future development will continue to be taken. Both local and state budget funds will be spent on this.

In other words, we are going forward very fast and will try to keep up this pace in the coming years too. There is still much to do. I congratulate you and all the residents of Absheron District on the approaching Eid al-Adha again. Thank you.