Baku, March 3, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by Governor of the Rostov Region of the Russian Federation Vasily Golubev.

Welcoming the delegation, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- You are welcome, I am very pleased to see you. I am sure that the visit is productive and enjoyable. We have long-standing relations. I am glad that you are visiting us today. Of course, the agenda of your stay is quite extensive. As far as I know, there are a lot of meetings. I hope all of them are constructive and, based on the results, we will outline ways for further cooperation. There is great potential in the sphere of increasing the turnover, in the implementation of investment and cultural projects. In general, we are neighbors, we live in almost the same region. Therefore, of course, with regard to agriculture, these directions are similar, in general. Therefore, there are many areas of cooperation. Also, as you know, we are actively using your agricultural machinery. Our farmers are happy. So there is a large scope of work and a broad agenda. I do hope that the visit is very productive. Welcome again.

Governor of the Rostov Region Vasily Golubev said:

- Thank you, Ilham Heydar oglu. First of all, thank you for the warm welcome. We have already begun working and many contacts have already been established. Business representatives are working. I know that there are very specific projects and there is interest on both sides. This includes our machine builders, as you said, and also Waterfall PRO. This is a company that produces polymers and receives raw materials from here. The potential is large – about 60,000 tons of products. I do hope that the agreements that exist today are actually implemented. Their implementation has almost begun. The Rostov Region is a diversified region. In recent years, we have had good development dynamics in the industrial and agro-industrial sectors. We have excellent opportunities for the development of tourism. Several companies are ready to sign agreements on the development of our relations tomorrow.

I would like to specifically mention the topic of humanitarian cooperation. Our universities already have cooperation agreements. I know that this is being implemented in the specific example of our Rostov State Technical University, the Southern Federal University and several others. And it is particularly delightful that these partnerships have a long history.

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Governor of the Rostov Region Vasily Golubev presented a commemorative album with a video record to President Ilham Aliyev.

The video album is dedicated to the visit of great leader Heydar Aliyev, who was heading Azerbaijan in 1980, to the Rostov Region. During the visit, the great leader took part in the opening of the Sambeki Heights memorial, which is a symbol of the liberation of the Rostov Region and is dedicated to the heroism of Azerbaijani soldiers who showed exceptional courage during the Great Patriotic War. At that time, the 130th and 416th divisions, comprised of Azerbaijanis who fought bravely with the German fascists, were awarded the honorary title of Taganrog divisions.

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President Ilham Aliyev said: I am very grateful for remembering our common history. Of course, the fact that Heydar Aliyev took part in the opening of this memorial in the Rostov Region 40 years ago is a very dear history for us. Thank you for keeping this memory and thank you for such a touching video. And, of course, there will be a great celebration of our common victory this year. In Azerbaijan, veterans of the Great Patriotic War are supported both morally and financially by the state. We always remember their heroic deed. I usually spend 9 May with veterans in Baku. But I have received an invitation from Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and plan to be in Moscow for 9 May this year. I also want to say that officers of the Azerbaijani army will march on the Red Square as a sign of our common victory.

I would also like to take this opportunity to say that Russia and Azerbaijan have a completely identical position on this issue. We are also vehemently fighting attempts to distort the truth about the Great Patriotic War, attempts to rewrite history and attempts to glorify fascism and fascists. Therefore, our positions completely coincide, as these positions are based on historical truth, on justice and on the fact that future generations never doubt who was the aggressor, who was the victim of aggression, who won and at what cost this Victory was achieved.

We in Azerbaijan honor the memory of all Soviet citizens and, of course, our own representatives. Half of those who participated in the war from Azerbaijan were killed – more than 300,000 people. During the war, Azerbaijan provided the Soviet army with 90 percent of lubricants, 80 percent of gasoline and fuel for tanks. And this played an important role in our common victory. Also, our plants produced the necessary weapons, including the famous “Katyusha”. So we honor this day, and I want to express our gratitude for this memory once again. Thank you.