OFFICIAL NEWS
PREMIER OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJANMR. ILHAM ALIYEV
All of my colleagues at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute in Washington join me in expressing our great over Your father’s declining health. None of us can ever be prepared for a parent’s physical decline, especially when the parent has always been a living symbol of vigor and vitality, and one to whom so many others have always looked for sound judgments and solid leadership. We know these days cannot be easy for You.
At the same time, we take heart from the fact that so great a responsibility has been entrusted to you at this delicate moment of the life of your country. From your fine speech at our Institute and from our several conversations I know full well that no one is better fitted than you to bear this responsibility with distinction and to provide the kind of leadership that the present situation requires.
May your good sense, calm demeanor, and healthy sense of humor survive through the coming days, months, and years.
With warm regards,
S. Frederick Star,
Director of the John Hopkins University’s Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Washington, 4 August 2003