In the 65th issue of the Paris-based French and English languages magazine “La Letr diplomatic” has been published a big interview with the President of our country Ilham Aliyev under heading “Azerbaijan gets on world ”.

The editorial emphasizes that Azerbaijan located along the Great Silk Road, on junction of the East and West, plays important role in the field of development of rich oil and gas deposits of the Caspian, informs that President Ilham Aliyev who is successfully carrying out ideas of our national leader Heydar Aliyev, founder of the independent Azerbaijan state, that, in his interview informs the French readers on substantive provisions of the program directed on the further development of Republic.

AzerTAj brings to attention of readers the text of the given interview (abridged).

- Mr. President, in October 2003, you have been elected the President, having replaced on this post of your late father Heydar Aliyev which long time supervised over Azerbaijan after regaining by the country of independence. How you estimate the heritage left by him to Azerbaijan? Taking into account your wish to continue his cause, what are the priorities of the program of your activity?

- It is very difficultly within the framework of one interview to speak about merits of Mr. Heydar Aliyev before Azerbaijan people as this question covers very big theme. To penetrate into essence of the question, it is necessary to consider the period when Mr. Heydar Aliyev in 1993 has come back to power in Azerbaijan.

From the first days after restoration in 1991 by the Azerbaijan Republic of the state independence our people had to overcome huge ordeals of history. These historical tests have been caused by a number of factors: on the one hand, - military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, accompanied with deportation of hundreds thousand of our compatriots from their native historical lands, destruction of our cities, regions and villages and other tragedies, and on the other hand, - pressure upon our young state on the part of the external forces, not wishing to see Azerbaijan independent, the intentions of the forces, assuming temporarily power in the country, under the pretext of independence to put Azerbaijan in the dependent position of others states, attempts of separate persons and military groups, using all means to seize power and so forth.

The economy of Azerbaijan was in condition of paralysis. As a result of distributed by world Armenian lobby and powerful disinformation directed against Azerbaijan, and also the incompetent policy of the persons who are temporarily taking place at authority in the country, Azerbaijan has been isolated from the international community. In Azerbaijan where civil war began, as a whole, reigned chaos.

In such difficult situation, Mr. Heydar Aliyev in 1993 under the insisting of people has come back to power and, having undertaken extremely heavy and historical mission, since first days has directed all activity on rescue of our people from misfortunes. For short time, in the country the anarchy was put an end. The illegal armed groups have been liquidated. The government was generated and political stability was established. On the front line cease-fire has been achieved. It, on the one hand, has allowed to avoid in the war caused by proceeding Armenian aggression, destruction of many our innocent young men, and on the other, has helped our country to win time from the point of view of the organization and constructions according to modern requirements of our army being the guarantor of inviolability of our borders.

The plan of activity has been prepared in connection with improvement, reorganization of our paralyzed economy, import in the country of new technologies, attraction of foreign investments. Oil strategy of the independent Azerbaijan state has been determined and began its realization. “The Contract Of The Century”, signed in 1994 between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic and a number of leading oil companies of the world, promoted acceleration of the given process. Signing of this contract represented for our country not only economic, but also the important political value. It was display of firm belief of the world community, of the leading states of the world in the political stability established in Azerbaijan, the future of the country. Due to all these the strong basis for economic development of the country has been founded. Azerbaijan began to integrate promptly into system of the international economic relations, has turned to one of the states taking active participation in regional international economic projects.

Also the beginning of extremely difficult process connected to definition and realization of foreign policy of our country has been established. As against former republics of the USSR, as a whole of many states regained independence on space of socialist camp, in Azerbaijan, the said process, as I have already noted, was accompanied by a lot of objective and subjective difficulties.

In these historical conditions the head of our state has launched titanic activity directed on formation and realization of foreign policy strategy of our country. Alongside with that Mr. Heydar Aliyev worked in a busy schedule in connection with the solution of the numerous challenges collected in the country, he at the same time carried out numerous meetings with heads of the states and the governments, influential peace politicians, appeared on the tribunes of the authoritative international organizations, gave detailed interviews to the leading mass media of the world due to what for short time information blockade Azerbaijan has undergone by the Armenian lobby, has been overcome. Prompt integration of Azerbaijan into OSCE, the Council of Europe, the NATO and other authoritative international organizations, in the Euro-Atlantic structures as a whole commenced. As a result of establishment of the foreign policy relations with the states of the world on principles of equality and mutual benefit, Azerbaijan has taken in the international community a worthy place, as the state, which is truly carrying out an independent policy. Rich political experience of Mr. Heydar Aliyev, his approach to ongoing in the region and all over the world political processes from the global position have led to normalization and development of relations even with the countries with cool attitude towards Azerbaijan. Thus, due to establishment of the balanced relations in the field of foreign policy, the position of Azerbaijan on the international arena has considerably become stronger.

As a whole, Mr. Heydar Aliyev who has founded the modern Azerbaijan statehood has exclusive merits in preservation, development of independence of our country, that Azerbaijan has taken a worthy place among the states of the world.

I want to note once again, that all the listed above makes only certain part of merits of Mr. Heydar Aliyev before Azerbaijan people. Not casually, Azerbaijan people deeply reveres light memory of the national leader Mr. Heydar Aliyev and I am certain that memory of him will always live in hearts of all Azerbaijanis.

As the President of the Azerbaijan Republic, I shall consistently continue Heydar Aliyev’s policy and in my further activity. The basic priorities of this policy are the further strengthening of the Azerbaijan statehood, restoration of territorial integrity of our country, returning of our compatriots who became refugees and IDPs, to their native lands, the further development of our economy, continuous improvement of social status of the population, the further expansion of links of our country with the international community, closer integration of Azerbaijan into the world community, including into family of the European peoples. The further well-being and calmness of the Azerbaijan people with an ancient history, rich economic and cultural potential, makes the basis of mine as the President, activity, and I am confident, that we together shall achieve the goals.

- Azerbaijan is one of the most dynamically developing countries of the CIS, since 2001 the country has carried out a number of important structural reforms. What is necessary to make for improvement of internal factors of development? In conditions when the oil-and-gas sphere is the engine of the Azerbaijan economy, in what you see expansion of sources of incomes of Republic? Taking into account the still existing social inequality in your country, in what measures the struggle against poverty consist?

- The Azerbaijan Republic on rates of economic development is one of the countries going in the forefront not only among the states of CIS, but also the countries of the East Europe. Large-scale economic reforms as a result of which the country for short time has achieved tremendous successes have begun from 1996 in Azerbaijan. So, for last seven years the mid-annual growth of GDP has made approximately 10 percents. Last year, the said parameter has exceeded by 11 percents. The rate of inflation already for long years does not exceed 2-3 percents. Every year monetary incomes of the population increase. There are put in Azerbaijan large foreign investments that serve as a parameter of trust of investors to our country and presence of the favorable investment environment. The big successes also are achieved in development of oil-and-gas sector of Azerbaijan. In the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian, have been enclosed investments estimated in billions of US dollars that already brings the positive results, and further will promote huge inflow of incomes.

In Azerbaijan, land reform due to what hundred thousand peasants became landowners is successfully carried out.

The most important direction of structural reforms in our economy is privatization of the state property. As a result of privatization, and also in development of public sector, the weight non-governmental sector in the GDP has reached on results of 2003, 73,4 percents. The measures carried out recently directed on full realization of powerful economic potential of the country, will raise the role of internal factors in steady economic development of Azerbaijan and accordingly will reduce dependence on external factors. The system of the said measures first of all is in detail specified in such state programs, as reduction of poverty and economic development, social and economic development of regions. It is, first of all, maintenance of balanced development of economy as with branch and regional point of view, expansion of structural reforms, maintenance of dynamical development of non-oil sector, increase of the state support to creation of the processing enterprises, social policy and others.