Paris, November 15, AZERTAC 

A reception has been held in Paris to introduce Baku`s bid to host the World Expo exhibition in 2025.

First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva attended the event.

The host of the event described Azerbaijan as the pearl of the Caucasus, saying the country has ancient history and rich culture. He said he is honored that First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva attends the event.

First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva addressed the reception.

Speech by First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva

Mr Deputy Secretary General,

Mr President of the General Assembly,

Excellencies,

Distinguished members of the BIE,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

Let me start by welcoming you all this evening and thank you for accepting our invitation.

It is an honor to introduce on behalf of the Government of Azerbaijan the bid of Baku to host the World Expo in 2025.

I would like to thank Deputy Secretary General Dimitri Kerkentzes for being with us tonight and I take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the leadership of the BIE and to their dedicated team for the excellent cooperation with the Government of Azerbaijan.

Since 2000 Azerbaijan has been an active member of the EXPO movement. Our pavilions received awards in the last three exhibitions in Milan in 2015 with more than 3 million visits, in Antalya in 2016 and in Astana in 2017. We are proud of this recognition of our modest contribution to the work of the BIE.

World Expos are a showcase for diversity, based on equality and respect for all cultures. They bring the entire international community together in a unique space for global discussion and cooperation. I therefore believe that Azerbaijan is one of the best places to host this universal platform.

For centuries our country has been at the crossroads of continents and civilizations. With lands spanning Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan plays a role of a commercial, political and cultural bridge between East and West, North and South.

For two thousand years, the ancient Silk Road passed through modern-day Azerbaijan. Much like World Expos, it served as an important channel for sharing knowledge and skills. It shaped the history, culture and tolerant outlook of the country.

Different ethnic groups and religions have been coexisting in Azerbaijan throughout centuries in an atmosphere of peace, harmony and mutual respect. Ethnic and religious diversity and multiculturalism are not simply our state policy but at the same time our lifestyle. This is our history and our today’s reality. We are a secular, multicultural and multi-faith society. And we are proud of that.

Today Azerbaijan is recognized as one of the world’s centers of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue. We create international platforms to promote better understanding between people of different cultures and religions that would allow us to address more efficiently many serious problems that the world faces today. Our history and our today’s reality prove that this is possible. Just as one example, I can mention World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue initiated by Azerbaijan and supported by such international organizations as UN, UNESCO, Council of Europe, UN Alliance of Civilizations, World Tourism Organization and ISESCO. In line with this policy, we proclaimed 2016 as the Year of multiculturalism and 2017 as the Year of Islamic Solidarity in Azerbaijan. First European Games in 2015 and Fourth Islamic Solidarity Games held earlier this year have been Azerbaijan’s another contribution to dialogue between cultures.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Next year we will celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic - the first parliamentary and secular republic in the Muslim world. Even if it had lasted only for 23 months, this Republic laid the foundations of democratic tradition for the contemporary Azerbaijani statehood on the basis of respect of equal rights to all of its citizens regardless of their race, ethnic origin, religion, sex or social status. It was back in 1918, that Azerbaijan became one of the first countries in the world to grant women equal political rights with men, including the right to vote.

When Azerbaijan restored its independence in 1991, we were immediately faced with huge political, economic and humanitarian challenges posing a real threat to our existence as an independent and sovereign state. The most serious of these was military aggression on the part of neighboring Armenia that resulted in the continuing occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. As a result of ethnic cleansing committed by Armenia, more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons. The UN Security Council adopted four resolutions, demanding immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territory of Azerbaijan. These resolutions must be implemented and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored.

But despite the conflict and additional challenges of transition to a new political system and a market economy, Azerbaijan has been able to put in place a successful development strategy and implemented necessary political and economic reforms. This allowed us to strengthen our independence, improve the quality of life of our citizens and secure a dignified place for Azerbaijan in the community of nations. Political, economic and social stability are a solid basis of our successful development.

As a result, from 2004 to 2014 our GDP tripled and Azerbaijan became one of the fastest growing economies of the world. More than one million six hundred thousand jobs were created. Level of unemployment – 5 percent - is one of the lowest in the world. During the same period, we managed to reduce the level of poverty from 40% down to 5%. More than 3000 schools, over 600 hospitals and more than 50 sports complexes have been built across the country.

In 2009 Azerbaijan was assessed by the World Bank as a “leading reformer of the world”. World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index for 2017-2018 ranked our country as 35th among 137 economies.

Taking advantage of its unique geo-strategic location, Azerbaijan has developed itself into a key player in facilitating the interconnection between Europe and Asia and became one of the major contributors to European energy security.

Azerbaijan initiated and implemented several major international infrastructure projects, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline and Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railroad which was inaugurated on 30 October 2017. This 850 km road is the shortest route linking Europe to Asia.

Today, we are also playing a leading role in the realization of the Southern Gas Corridor- a 40 bln USD project providing a new source of natural gas for international markets and strengthening European energy security. These examples testify to Azerbaijan’s practical contribution to the revival of the ancient Silk Road, the greatest value of which has been at all times promotion of dialogue and exchange of skills and knowledge between various continents, cultures and civilizations.

Dear guests,

Azerbaijan is a nation on the rise and now it is our ambition to win the right to host World Expo and to host the whole world in 2025.

Our theme – ‘Developing human capital, building a better future’ – is indeed of universal concern.

It addresses the great challenge of our time - the impact of technology and increasing connectivity on humankind.

At Baku Expo 2025, we believe it will be crucial to look beyond technology, and to focus on the people who power economies, communities and creativity – from leaders to ordinary citizens.

We will put people… human capital – the world’s most powerful resource – at the centre of universal debate.

World Expo in Baku will offer the organisation a chance to engage with new audiences in a new market.

It will offer the chance to write new history, in a new region, in a new era.

And it will offer the people of Azerbaijan the chance to show that we can be one of the best possible partners for the BIE. If our bid is successful, we will be the first city in the whole region of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and the Caspian to host a World Expo.

We are ready to allocate all the necessary funds for the site’s construction and operation as well as to support the participation of developing countries.

In conclusion, I would like to once again bring to your attention main arguments in favour of our bid to host a World Expo:

1. We have an ancient history rich with the traditions of multiculturalism and mutual respect between people of different religious and ethnic origin;

2. Our easily accessible geographical location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia provides a new destination for a world expo;

3. We are a young independent country with political and economic stability, financial capability and high level of security and safety;

4. The City of Baku with its rapidly growing infrastructure is a unique mixture of history and modernity;

5. Azerbaijan is a rapidly growing tourist destination with an easy access and electronic visas for citizens of more than 90 countries;

6. Our rich cuisine, nice climate and traditional hospitality are definitely an advantage.

EXPO in Baku would be another recognition of our achievements during the 26 years of independence.

It will also be a strong encouragement for all young, independent countries.

It is our sincere ambition to host World Expo 2025. If you entrust us with the honour, we will proudly welcome the world to Azerbaijan and to our beautiful city, Baku.

I thank you for your attention.

X X X

The event then featured the screening of a promotional video on Azerbaijan.

World Expos, known officially as International Registered Exhibitions, are organized every five years by Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). The themes of World Expos are designed to raise awareness of and find responses to universal challenges of our time. The next World Expo will take place in Dubai, UAE, between 20 October 2020 and 10 April 2021 under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.

Four countries are candidates to host World Expo 2025: France (in Greater Paris), Japan (in Osaka), the Russian Federation (in Ekaterinburg), and Azerbaijan (in Baku). The 170 Member States of the BIE will elect the host country at the 164th General Assembly in November 2018.

Azerbaijan has been a member of the BIE since 2008. Its first Expo participation since gaining independence in 1991 was at World Expo 2000 in Hannover. The Azerbaijani pavilions at World Expo 2015 Milan and Specialised Expo 2017 Astana were among the most popular in terms of visitor numbers.

Shahla Aghalarova

Special Correspondent