The Azerbaijan State News Agency

OFFICIAL NEWS

President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva inaugurated new building of Absheron District Central Hospital VIDEO

Absheron, February 1, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva have attended the opening of a newly constructed building of Absheron District Central Hospital.

President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva viewed conditions created at the hospital.

Built under the Order of the Azerbaijani President, the 150-bed hospital was supplied with all necessary equipment.

After viewing conditions created at the new hospital, President Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by the Azerbaijani Television.

Interview with President Ilham Aliyev

- Mr. President, first of all, thank you for taking the time for the interview. My first question will be about your impressions of this health center you have just inaugurated. What are your impressions?

- My impressions are very positive. This newly-built hospital reflects our work in the field of health care. As you may know, many hospitals have been built in recent years, and they also have certain standards – both in terms of architecture and equipment. Therefore, I am confident that this hospital will provide quality medical services to our citizens. Because all modern equipment is available here.

At the same time, the hospital is a place of work for doctors. More than 200 doctors and more than 600 medical workers will be employed here. Of course, their working conditions are changing for the better. I am sure that the medical service provided here will help our people restore their health. The construction of the hospital once again shows that our activities in this area are continuing in a consistent manner and a modern hospital is already in operation in Absheron district. At the same time, the advantage of this hospital is that different medical institutions were located in different places before, but now there is a hospital, a clinic, a children's clinic, a maternity department, an emergency department here – all departments will operate in one place. Of course, this is also very important for people’s comfort.

- Mr. President, hospitals meeting the latest standards have been built in all the regions of Azerbaijan on your initiative. We would like to find out your opinion about the next stage. In other words, is this program already over or will it be continued?

- I think it is almost over. Because there are hospitals in all the regions of the country. Over the past 17 years, more than 750 hospitals have either been rebuilt or overhauled. It is possible to say that our fund of hospitals and medical institutions meets the highest standards. After that, of course, we will primarily take additional steps to improve the health care system and enhance the quality of medical services, especially in the current period.

The main objective has been to create and modernize the material and technical infrastructure of our health care system. I remember stating after being elected President in 2004 that we must turn black gold into human capital. To be honest, the volume of our black gold was not particularly large at that time, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline had not yet been built, but we could already foresee all this work. We knew that a period of great oil production was in store for us. Therefore, my main goal was to transform oil revenues into human capital. As I said, this task has already been fulfilled in its entirety. The most modern hospitals, outpatient clinics and diagnostic centers operate in all the regions of our country. If we had not achieved that, 5 million people would not be able to undergo medical examination every year in recent years. I think this is also a great achievement. I have attended more than a hundred, perhaps even more opening ceremonies of hospitals – I do not remember all of them now – and I have repeatedly drawn our people’s attention to the fact that everyone must undergo examination once a year. I am not saying that anymore because this is not necessary. This issue has been resolved and the process of examination has been going on for several years now. I repeat that the medical examination of 5 million people, or half of the country's population, at the expense of the state requires great organizational and financial resources. Azerbaijan is one of a handful of countries that has both put forward and implemented this initiative. At the same time, as you know, we have now moved to a system of compulsory health insurance. This transition has also been resolved in stages. The implementation of pilot projects gave us preliminary information and this information was very positive. In the cities covered by the pilot projects, the quality of medical services has improved and the level of popular satisfaction has been high. This is why we have already moved to this system. It would not be possible to move to it without a modern fund of hospitals. So we are doing everything in a consistent manner, and the construction of large hospitals will be stopped perhaps in the next year or two and more steps will be taken to improve and modernize the health care system.

- Mr. President, it is probably of particular importance that this hospital opens during the pandemic. The global pandemic has been going on for more than a year. How would you assess the work done to combat this virus in Azerbaijan so far?

- Yes, indeed, it is quite remarkable that this hospital opens during the pandemic. Of course, the construction of this hospital began before the pandemic, and we had to insure ourselves against possible surprises with the construction of these hospitals. Because no-one could have imagined that there would be a pandemic. But other unpleasant things could have happened. Therefore, our hospital fund had to be ready for that. I think that Azerbaijan has achieved what it wanted by taking preventive measures in the fight against the pandemic from the early days. We have managed to keep the situation under control at all times during this year. Of course, the fact that we bought new laboratories to the country has played a special role here. Because we had only eight laboratories before the pandemic, and only a thousand tests could be performed a day. At present, the number of laboratories has reached 42 and as many as 20,000 tests can be performed. So we are doing that. A total of 2.4 million tests have been performed. That is a very large number.

At the same time, in the early days of the pandemic we started to bring modular hospitals to the country, and I think we have shown leadership in that as well. Many countries took similar steps after us but manufacturers could not catch up any longer. We brought and installed 13 modular hospitals in Azerbaijan. Now we have a full hospital fund that allows us to resolve all issues related to the disease, and there are enough wards and intensive care units. It is as a result of that and of the public policy that there has been a positive trend in recent weeks. The number of those recovering is much higher than the number of incoming patients. I think more successful steps will be taken in this area now that vaccination has begun. This is why we have now entered a phase of relaxing the restrictions. During the year, we either softened or tightened the quarantine, took steps to protect people's health and, at the same time, did not create additional difficulties for people when they were unnecessary. So we have always been very sensitive in addressing these two important issues - people's health and comfort and, as they say, their morale.

- Mr. President, we have also witnessed that these preventive and restrictive measures taken in Azerbaijan were highly assessed at the international level. Various leading international organizations have expressed their views on this. Even an “Azerbaijani model” was sometimes referred to in this context. Could you please share your opinion about that?

- Yes, this makes us very happy, of course. We are, of course, very pleased that international organizations appreciate Azerbaijan's activities. But our main goal has been to protect our people and citizens. After all, it was not clear in the first days of the pandemic what the dangers or complications of this disease were. In fact, there is still no complete research of that. Therefore, we took these steps from the early days and, at the same time, established contacts with the World Health Organization to try to work as effectively as possible in this area. As you have mentioned, the World Health Organization already talks about an “Azerbaijan model”, praises the work done and has repeatedly cited Azerbaijan as an exemplary country. At the same time, I was recently informed that Gallup, the world's leading polling company, also conducted an opinion poll among Azerbaijani citizens. Eighty-six percent of our citizens appreciate the activity of the state in this area, and according to this indicator Azerbaijan ranks fourth in the world. In other words, both international organizations, the World Health Organization, which is a leading organization in this field, and the people of the country appreciate our work. This is an indicator in itself and shows that we are on the right path. We have always told the truth to the citizens. We have always said that this is necessary, if we do not do this, we will face major problems and our health care system will not be able to mobilize its resources to treat the growing number of patients. I am glad that citizens met all our calls with understanding. As a result, both public policy and the growing responsibility of citizens have allowed us the opportunity to keep the situation under control to this day.

- During this period, we have also witnessed Azerbaijan providing assistance to foreign countries.

- That's right. We thought we had this responsibility as a responsible country. Azerbaijan had to do it especially as a country chairing the Non-Aligned Movement. The financial situation of many countries is very poor, now in particular. Many countries are unable to meet the daily needs of their citizens. Under such circumstances, we believe that we must do this as much as we can. Therefore, financial and humanitarian assistance was provided to more than 30 countries during this period. Also, voluntary donations of $10 million was made to international organizations, including the World Health Organization. Of that, $5 million went to their common pandemic efforts and the other $5 million was provided to the poorest countries of the Non-Aligned Movement.

In addition, we initiated the holding of international summits. Two summits of both the Turkic Council and the Non-Aligned Movement were dedicated to COVID-19. They also had very positive results. It was the first such initiative, and we put it forward as a country chairing both institutions. After that, we held a special session of the UN General Assembly with the support of members of the Non-Aligned Movement. It was not very easy either. To hold a special session of the General Assembly requires the presence of many factors. I can say that although some countries did not openly protest, they were not particularly interested. Some thought that such an initiative, as they say, should come from only large countries. In their opinion, such initiatives should be agreed in advance. We put it forward as our own initiative. As you know, Armenia opposed it, and that was a bit of a surprise. In other words, Armenia showed the whole world again how pervasive Azerbaijanophobia is in Armenia, and this event was held before the war.

Speaking at a special session of the UN General Assembly as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, I called on all countries to show solidarity. I said that we had to join our efforts in the fight against this scourge, that no unilateral steps should be taken in this direction and that rich countries should take responsibility. The vaccine should reach people in all countries. I even suggested that rich countries should pay for the vaccine for those living in poor countries and pass it on to them. I also called on companies not to seek profit in this area and act responsibly. In principle, my calls have been supported by many countries, but, unfortunately, real life shows a completely different picture. We see a huge difference between words and deeds.

- You touched upon a fair distribution of vaccines. We would like to know your opinion on another issue. In general, we can say that a new stage has begun in the fight against the pandemic – vaccination around the world. And even in this area we are witnessing some tension between certain countries. Take, for example, the row between the European Union and the United Kingdom. What do you think is the reason for this?

- I repeat that the reason for this is injustice in this area – even in the relations between allies. This fact is very disturbing in itself because the United Kingdom was a member of the European Union, and countries of the European Union have been connected with the United Kingdom over centuries. At the same time, these countries are members of NATO, and such a scandal between them, of course, raises many questions. We see this in the open media. For example, I recently saw EU officials accuse the UK of distributing the vaccine they produce unfairly. I even remember some figures. It was stated that 13 percent of British citizens have already been vaccinated, whereas in the EU the figure is only at 2 percent. If this trend continues, the UK will provide 75 percent of its population with the vaccine by July, whereas the European Union will do that only in October. So these are very thought-provoking statements. In fact, we saw that some embargoes were imposed after that. As you know, some production sites are established in Europe. That is why such a scandal broke out. Of course, we need to look at this carefully. If developed countries can't share these vaccines fairly and make mutual accusations, then what should other countries do? Who will help poor countries, those living in developing countries? Doesn’t anyone think about that? I have not heard such calls from the leaders of developed countries so far.

That is why we, as a country chairing the Non-Aligned Movement and committed to our word, are already raising this issue on the global arena. When I took over the chairmanship, I said that Azerbaijan would defend international law and justice, protect the interests of all member countries, and we are doing exactly that. The holding of these two summits and one special session shows that we are acting as a responsible country in this area as well, and we will continue to raise our voice. It is not ruled out that the fight for vaccines will intensify, which may lead to very tragic consequences.

- Mr. President, with your permission, could we return to the process of vaccination in Azerbaijan. You have already mentioned at the beginning of your speech that this process has begun in our country. How would you assess the work being done?

- I have a positive assessment. Azerbaijan is the first country of the South Caucasus to start the vaccination. At the same time, Azerbaijan is among leaders in our region. It is as a result of these efforts that the work has been done properly from the first days of the pandemic, all necessary steps have been taken and contacts have been established with international organizations. We are a member of the COVAKS initiative and will bring various vaccines to our country through COVAKS. At the same time, we have signed agreements with several companies to import vaccines to our country. But the implementation of some of them is being delayed, probably for the reasons I have mentioned. At the same time, we have already ordered 4 million doses of the vaccine, and they have already arrived in Azerbaijan. The vaccines are made in China. The vaccination started in Azerbaijan on 18 January. For comparison, in the European Union it started on 18 December of last year. So the people of Azerbaijan started to receive these vaccines only a month later. And this, of course, is a manifestation of our effective work in the field of vaccination.

I must also say that in the current situation, in particular the situation involving rich countries, these conflicts have a negative impact on producers and deprive people of many countries of these vaccines. In addition, it inflames mistrust among countries of the world. You have mentioned the row between the European Union and the United Kingdom, but there are other examples. For instance, let me refer to the open media again. I can say that developed countries account for 14 percent of the world's population. However, developed countries have so far ordered 53 percent of the world's supply of vaccines. So there is injustice and inequality yet again. There is a Moderna vaccine. If I am not mistaken, it is made in America. Ninety-eight percent of the Moderna vaccine has been ordered by rich countries. Pfizer is a European vaccine, and 96 percent of Pfizer vaccine has been ordered by rich countries. But what should the citizens of poor countries do? Get sick? When they get sick, they are more likely to die because the health care system in such countries is by far worse than that of developed countries. Therefore, we must talk about these issues and not hush them up. But this information is published in the open media but then seems to be forgotten. Because it does not suit certain people. It does not suit those in charge of the world media. Because it reveals a huge difference between the words of those actors and their actions.

I can give you another example. According to a recent report, Canada has ordered vaccines for 154 million people. Canada has a population of 38 million. This country, the government of this country adopted a pro-Armenian stance during the Patriotic War, supported the occupiers, wanted to cast a shadow on our cause and even imposed an unfounded embargo on the export of Bayraktar drone cameras to Turkey. This pro-Armenian country orders 154 million vaccines and pays for them, but it has a population of 38 million people. That is four times more. This means that the vaccine will not reach out to 120 million people. They will not receive it, they will get sick and die. But they do not care. They only want to secure their own interests by being selfish. Under such circumstances, what kind of democracy can we talk about? What kind of justice, mercy or human rights can we talk about? This means that the rights of people in poor countries are being violated and their health is at risk. But rich countries, as they say, secure their interests by blowing their own interests out of proportion, by providing four to five times more than they need.

This is not just a matter of this disease. It has very deep roots, and it is not accidental. Because these deep roots lead us to a colonial era. It is as if we are witnessing an unofficial period of neo-colonialism or undeclared colonization. There is no other name for it. In this case, do these countries have a moral right to say something to anyone or to accuse someone of anything? This is selfishness and dishonesty. Azerbaijan, a country chairing the Non-Aligned Movement, does not and will not remain silent here. Today, I take this opportunity to call on members of the Non-Aligned Movement to join us. We must raise this issue in the international arena, in the UN. We need to appeal to the World Health Organization, we need to appeal to companies, we need to appeal to rich countries to give up these practices. This is an injustice. This cannot be ignored. This cannot be hushed up. Azerbaijan as the leader of the second largest institution after the UN will continue to have its say in this regard.

- You have touched upon the issue of the Patriotic War. With your permission, my next question will be about the lands liberated from the Armenian occupation. You have already visited those territories several times. We would like to hear your impressions again.

- My impressions… Of course, I feel whatever every citizen of Azerbaijan does, perhaps even more. Because I have already visited those territories in person. There are occasional television reports now showing the areas that have been destroyed. But, of course, when you see that firsthand, the picture is completely different. This shows yet again what evil forces we have fought against. The pro-Armenian, anti-Azerbaijani and Islamophobic circles that want to cast a shadow over our just cause today must know that the contemptible Armenia seized and destroyed all our infrastructure by occupying our lands. I have visited Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan districts, and the city of Shusha. The city of Aghdam is completely destroyed. There is not a single safe building. There is one half-destroyed mosque, which was also desecrated by the Armenians. There is not a single building left in Fuzuli. There is only a three- or four-storey building of a military unit. There is a military unit at the entrance to the city of Jabrayil, but there is no city. In Gubadli and Zangilan, only a few houses remain, and they are in dilapidated condition. They also used those houses as a police station, and therefore as a military base. There is not a single safe building in the villages along the road. All the buildings in the villages have been destroyed and looted. This picture is now shown to the whole world, and this must be done. For many years, the Armenian leadership and its supporters were hiding this as if there were no such thing. Representatives of international organizations in those regions were also covering it up. This looting, this savagery, this hostility must attract the attention of the whole world. That is why we invite journalists and representatives of the diplomatic corps. We need to invite more of them so that everyone can see this. We have not only restored our territorial integrity, but we have also destroyed Armenian fascism, we have destroyed Armenian savagery. Although we did not completely liberate our region from fascist ideology, we have destroyed most of it. Therefore, our glorious victory is of great importance for the region and for the world.

I was asking myself why they did it. To be honest, I still can't find an answer to this question. One reason is that they thought that if all the houses were razed to the ground, the Azerbaijanis would not return to these lands. Because they could not imagine that after such a tragedy we could stand up, get stronger, use our rich natural resources effectively, develop our country, and restore these lands and territories. They thought we would never return there. This is the first reason. The second reason – this is probably the first reason – is the enmity in their hearts against us. We did not know and did not feel it during the Soviet era. I remember those years quite well. Thousands of Armenians lived in Azerbaijan. Our attitude towards them was very positive. They also behaved like normal members of our society. There was no enmity or hostility. But why did they show so much cruelty to us in 1992-93? The Khojaly genocide, other military operations resulting in the killing of innocent people, so much cruelty towards the civilian population. So they always had this enmity in their hearts. Today, Azerbaijan has broken their back, crushed their head, destroyed their army, destroyed their ideology, destroyed the ideological foundations they had been cultivating for years and decades. Of course, their attitude to us today is clear. But what was our fault then? We didn’t do them anything wrong. In order to fire at the busts of Bulbul, Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibayli, a person should have so much hatred and hostility in his heart. And against whom? Against people who gave you a place to live here. You settled down here. You have been relocated to a land that is alien to you, to Karabakh, from Anatolia, Iran. The Azerbaijani people embraced you and gave you a piece of bread. Instead of saying thank you, you destroyed all the buildings in 1992-93, destroyed the mosques and desecrated them. This footage is available on the internet. That war criminal Kocharyan, who came to Karabakh during the Karabakh war and then ran away like a mouse, stood in front of the Aghdam mosque with obscene words written on its walls. This is what he is. He lived with these feelings. We have broken their back and destroyed them.

I think that the modern world had never seen such atrocities. They burned unarmed people, killed them, burned children. They destroyed all our buildings and mosques. Armenian fascism is the most brutal, the most dangerous, the most loathsome, the ugliest ideology, and we have destroyed this ideology. I think that over the years, the world will have a full understanding of our historic contributions. In particular, the Armenian people will also be grateful to us over time because we wanted to save them from this evil. I do hope they will be saved. Otherwise, the future of the Armenian state as a state will be in great doubt.

- Mr. President, there has been a media report that an institution represented by the chairman of the Central Bank will open a representative office in Shusha. Could you please share your thoughts about this issue?

- I have a negative attitude to that. And I will tell you why. First of all, it is arbitrariness. Before making such statements, it is necessary to consult the leadership. I have made many important decisions regarding the restoration of the liberated lands. A headquarters has been established. The headquarters is led by the head of the Presidential Administration. I have said that all proposals and initiatives should be sent there. Because we cannot restore those lands and territories in accordance with people’s desires. Someone wants to open a representative office, someone else wants to open another institution. This is unacceptable. Therefore, there must be subordination in this issue. Making such statements in order to gain cheap popularity or set up an office, a new office, is completely unacceptable and should be stopped.

Secondly, we are doing all the work in a consistent manner. I have repeatedly told the people of Azerbaijan about the sequence of the work to be done, so that our people know what we will do. First of all, when will the former IDPs be able to return to those lands? First comes mine clearance. This is a big process. The Armenians are not giving us maps of minefields. That is why explosions are frequent now. We are now reshaping the Mine Action Agency, and it will be more efficient now. But it will take some time. Of course, mine clearance work must be completed. Then comes the assessment of the damage. If we do not assess the damage, we will not be able to succeed in the compensation lawsuit tomorrow. Therefore, first of all, local authorities should certify all the houses that have been destroyed. They must prepare video and photo materials, make drone footage, protocols. Every building in every village and every city must have its own passport. We will provide this information to the international companies involved. They will conduct their own research, conduct monitoring missions and assist us in the compensation lawsuit against Armenia. So this is the sequence.

After this work, infrastructure projects must be implemented. After all, how can anyone live there without the proper infrastructure? How can anyone live there without water, without light and without roads? After that, houses must be built. I have ordered that and our institutions are already working. Master plans of all the cities are being prepared, and not just master plans – there is a concept of a “smart city”, a concept of a “smart village”. It takes time. At the same time, everything should be done in a planned manner. Otherwise, someone will stand up and say that they will build something there, someone else will stand up and say that they will do this and that. Who are you? You should mind your own business. Again, those who run after cheap popularity experience a bitter end. This is first. Secondly, there is law and order in the country. No-one can act as they will. If someone forgets that, we will remind them. Of course, this will not be the end of the matter. Social facilities must also be built. In parallel with the construction of houses, social facilities such as hospitals, schools, cultural centers, sports facilities should be built. If we go and, as they say, build a school or a hospital somewhere, who will go there? There is no-one there.

As for Shusha, I have declared Shusha the cultural capital of our country. Everyone knows this and this decision has received a high assessment. Shusha will become one of the cultural capitals not only of Azerbaijan and the region, but also of the world perhaps. Shusha must have a very rich cultural life. Our compatriots who will live in Shusha must return there after all the work has been done. It is possible to say that Shusha is destroyed. All buildings have been destroyed. There is a former district authority building, where the hated junta built a nest for itself, a villa of the head of the junta and a few villas of criminal and corrupt Armenian officials. There are no other buildings there. There are also Khrushchev-era buildings that have long become outdated, and 2,000 Armenians lived in them. Does the Central Bank serve people to open a branch there? Who will it open a branch for? For him to go and sit there, to have a mansion there, to create conditions for himself, to spend money there? What good will that do to the people? None! And this is not all. Other agencies have also contacted me. At least they were smart enough to contact me, and I told them to mind their own business. I can name them, I can list them, so that the people of Azerbaijan know. Azeravtoyol. Its manager has asked me to allow them to open a regional center of Azeravtoyol in Shusha. Why? If you need to build a road, go and do that. No-one builds a road at their own expense. The state allocates a budget. What is Azeravtoyol supposed to do in Shusha? He wants to create conditions for himself, to go and occupy a piece of land, to build a house for himself, to fence it, to put a guard and, yes, when he goes there, to sit there, so to speak, and admire the nature. AZAL. Its head has also appealed to me saying that they want to establish some kind of a branch of AZAL in Shusha. This is absurd in principle. I told him what is necessary – mind your own business. Then the State Customs Committee has asked for the establishment of the Karabakh Regional Center in Shusha. Is there a border in Shusha for a regional customs center to be established there?

You know, these people have such harmful thoughts in their minds, and they pronounce them. The list goes on. The Ministry of Emergency Situations. The minister has asked me to allow them to establish a Karabakh Regional Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Shusha. Again for the same purpose – take a piece of land, there is no-one there now, build a fence again, install barbed wire again, build a residency. The State Border Service. If I say this now, the Azerbaijani people will probably laugh just like I did. The head of the service called me and asked for my permission to create a Shusha outpost of the border service. I asked whether there is a border in Shusha. Tell me – is there a border in Shusha or not? He says there isn’t. Then what kind of an outpost are you creating? We now have such a long border from north to south, from Kalbajar to Jabrayil, the border with Armenia. Create a border with Iran in Jabrayil district. What are you doing in Shusha? Again, to go there, stay there for a while, build a residency, and all at the expense of the state. Why not have a residency there? Sometimes I do not say these things to the citizens so as not to disgust them – sorry for my words, for my expression. But my patience is running out, and I am saying this for our citizens to know and for these officials to hear. Let the officials know their place and do their job.

Also, I have declared Shusha the cultural capital, not the capital of officials! So everyone should sit in their places, mind their own business and not upset me. The area of Shusha is 300 hectares. I did not allow a single stone to be placed on top of another stone there because we must first analyze the situation. After that, we must restore those historical buildings. I cannot say how to restore them. This should be stated by the experts. We have involved them now. For example, how should Khurshidbanu Natavan’s palace be restored? Because it has only one surviving wall, and the other walls have collapsed. How should it be restored? Should the collapsed part be built in the same style or should it be built in such a way that visitors can see that it has collapsed and been demolished. I have no answer to this question because I am not an expert. Various local and foreign companies are engaged in this work now. In Shusha, I think we need to restore historical buildings only. After that, with regard to the Khrushchev-era buildings – I do not want to jump the gun now – but I have an opinion that many of them should be removed from there. Modern four- or five-storey residential buildings should be built in their places. But I am simply sharing my views in this regard. But experts, architects, historians and residents of Shusha will say how exactly this will be done, how they want to see this city because it is their city. All this remains on the sidelines and someone stands up and says that he is opening a branch, someone else says he is opening an outpost, someone else says he is opening an emergency situations department. For God’s sake, I am lost for words. I found the right words. I told them the words they will not forget. I am also telling the citizens of Azerbaijan that there must be public control over the restoration work. If there isn’t, ugly buildings will be constructed again, lands will be seized and everyone will build something for himself.

I want to touch upon another issue now. I have set up a temporary management body. Why? Because I see and know that people are setting their sights there. It looks as if an attack is expected, a seizure of lands. This piece of land is mine, that piece of land is yours, this land is mine and that land is yours. But I will punish all of them, all of them, and do it properly. Let everyone sit in their own place and mind their own business. All those lands will be restored in a planned manner. There will be conditions for people there. These conditions will serve as an example for the whole world. There can be no illegal actions there. No land can be seized. Everything must be done in a planned and grounded manner. I am sure that we will achieve this. We all want the destroyed cities to be rebuilt soon, but at the same time, we want to ensure the comfort of the people who will return there and show the world the power of the modern and strong Azerbaijan.

- Mr. President, thank you again for your time.

- Thank you.

Share news on social media

Follow us on social network

VIDEO

President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva inaugurated new building of Absheron District Central Hospital VIDEO

Release of the Press Service of the President

Harvard University removes human skin binding from book

AZAL's summer schedule includes over 50 cities worldwide

Moscow hosts 101st meeting of CIS Economic Council

Türkiye’s intelligence chief to meet members of US House of Representatives

‘A total of 46 enterprises will operate in Agro-Industrial Park in Lachin’

Some 53% of Bulgarian Internet users shop online, survey shows

Baku to host 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue

Menorca becomes a naval base for NATO fleet, the third in Spain after Rota and Cartagena.

Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people

Hikmet Hajiyev: COP29 will demonstrate Azerbaijan’s determination, diplomatic and political courage VIDEO

101st meeting of CIS Economic Council kicks off in Moscow

GUAM member states step up efforts to combat human trafficking and illegal migration

Scientists chronicle earliest stages of a supernova

Another 35 families relocated to Fuzuli city get house keys VIDEO

Magnitude 6 earthquake rocks southern Greece

Biden administration approves $60M to rebuild Baltimore Bridge

Alzheimer's may be able to spread to organ transplant patients, study suggests - as experts call for dementia screening for all donors

Azerbaijan’s three judokas vie for medals at Antalya Grand Slam 2024

One of military units holds command-staff exercise

China’s Phoenix TV channel airs interview with Azerbaijan’s presidential assistant VIDEO

Central Bank: Azerbaijan records $3 billion in foreign direct investments in 2023

Azerbaijani gymnasts to compete in 2024 FIG World Challenge Cup

Azerbaijan joins IAF Spring Meetings 2024

Azerbaijan draws $6.7 billion in FDI in 2023 VIDEO

Azerbaijani Ombudsperson issues statement on March 31 - Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis

Getting too little sleep linked to high blood pressure

China's internet sector sees steady growth in first two months

Türkiye and Azerbaijan collaborate on historical film production

Georgian PM highlights religious diversity as “one of main wealth” of the country

Azerbaijani oil price climbs above $89

Azerbaijan relocates 138 more residents to Fuzuli city VIDEO

Transit officials approve New York City traffic congestion fee

Azerbaijani weightlifters to fight for glory at 2024 IWF World Cup

Taha Ayhan: We want to share the story of the liberation of Shusha with the whole world

Hirshhorn at 50: ‘Revolutions’ offers an artistic journey through time, Arts innovations

Attacks in NYC transit jump a massive 50% as subway murders surge: stats

Protocol signed to implement Shusha OIC Youth Capital-2024 program

Pope appears in better health, praises Israeli and Arab fathers who both lost daughters in conflict

Latvian foreign minister resigns amid private flights controversy

Azerbaijan's Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population meets with UNDP Resident Representative

Rediscovered Raphael masterpiece to be exhibited in French Basilica

Draft law on Corsica`s autonomy adopted. MP Josepha Giacometti Piredda protests describing it as “shackles”

China’s CATL to cut its EV battery costs by up to 50% this year, heralding a price war

UN chief applauds Türkiye's Global Zero Waste Initiative, calls for end to waste cycle

Azerbaijani ambassador meets with representatives of Egyptian media outlets

Türkiye ‘neutralizes’ 38 PKK/YPG terrorists over past week

Azerbaijani boxers claim 2 golds at Great Silk Way international tournament

Azerbaijani female boxers claim nine medals at Great Silk Way International Tournament-2024

From Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa

With 783 million people going hungry, a fifth of all food goes to waste, UN says

Trump leads Biden by 5 points in new national poll

Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee meets with Egyptian ambassador

Georgian Gov’t approves 2024-2025 climate change action plan

Guivami Rahimli: “…Azerbaijan’s aim is to transform the role of energy in international relations from fueling disagreements to oiling cooperation…”

Azerbaijani Ombudsperson meets with residents of Armenian origin in Khankendi

Seoul bus drivers go on general strike

Azerbaijan to pin hopes on seven female gymnasts at 35th Rhythmic Gymnastics International Grand Prix in France

Western Azerbaijan Community issues statement

Practical classes held with Military Institute’s cadets

Telescope shares clear image of Sagittarius A* black hole in Milky Way Galaxy

Artificial intelligence laboratory launched at Baku Higher Oil School for first time among higher education institutions in Azerbaijan

Election results confirm Bassirou Diomaye Faye's victory in Senegal's presidential race

Azerbaijani oil price declines in global markets

Oil prices surge in global markets

Moscow checks, discusses with Baku alleged arms deliveries to Kiev — MFA

Russian diplomat accuses France of intelligence operations in Caucasus

Childbirths in S. Korea hit another low in January

Azerbaijani delegation of Chamber of Accounts visits US

China opens WTO dispute against US subsidies to protect its EV industry

Aykhan Hajizade: We strongly condemn anti-Azerbaijani allegations in report prepared by group led by Rasmussen

Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupts

Türkiye says it will always ‘stand shoulder to shoulder’ with Pakistan in fight against terrorism

Obama, fearing Biden loss to Trump, is on the phone to strategize

Georgian PM, Parliament Speaker nominate national football team for Medal of Honour

Türkiye to host 2027 European Games

Passenger traffic at Baku Airport increased by more than 30% during the holidays

Number of those injured in Moscow attack rises to 360

35 more families relocated to Fuzuli city get house keys VIDEO

Controversial Titanic floating door prop sells for $718,750

Humans pass more viruses to other animals than we catch from them

On World Theatre Day, ICESCO calls for greater integration of “father of all arts” into school curricula

Black Carbon: Not just pollutant, but also driver of global warming

From Daniel Noboa Azín, Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador

Two Azerbaijani boxers qualify for final of Great Silk Way International Tournament-2024

1 in 3 migrant deaths occur en route to escape conflict: UN migration agency

ICESCO obtains Observer status in Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network

China sends multirole satellite into orbit VIDEO

® Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanic met with the staff of My Azerbaijan International Magazine

Japan aims to launch next-generation passenger aircraft by around 2035

Global oil prices drop

Austria stun Türkiye 6-1 in international friendly

Six workers presumed dead after crippled cargo ship knocks down Baltimore bridge

Azerbaijani oil price drops on world markets

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry: Statements by EU and US clearly have a one-sided and biased character VIDEO

2 UK ministers resign, forcing Sunak into Cabinet reshuffle

Poland, Ukraine bag EURO 2024 tickets

Azerbaijan relocates 35 more families to Fuzuli city VIDEO

Speaker of Azerbaijan's Parliament meets with ICESCO Director General

Attack on Turkish nationals in Belgium demonstrates PKK terror threat to Western Europe: Türkiye