Bishkek, October 12, AZERTAC

A School-Gymnasium educational complex No20 named after Heydar Aliyev has been inaugurated in Bishkek.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov attended the opening ceremony.

The heads of state made speeches at the ceremony.

Speech by President Sadyr Japarov

- Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Dear guests,

Dear friends,

Today we are gathered for the official opening ceremony of a general education school named after the great son of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev.

The opening of this school in Kyrgyzstan is a landmark event in bilateral relations and testifies to the strong friendship between our peoples and strategic cooperation between our countries, the foundation of which was laid by the historic personality of international eminence, the national leader of Azerbaijan, the esteemed Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev.

I would like to emphasize that the naming of the school after Heydar Aliyev is a great honor for us, because this outstanding personality was the embodiment of hopes and aspirations of not only the people of Azerbaijan. Wherever he worked, be is First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic or in his small homeland, Nakhchivan, Heydar Alirza oglu was an outstanding representative of his era, a subtle and thoughtful thinker, creator, a man with a big heart. I also want to remind you that as a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, while working as First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Heydar Aliyev was in charge of the most important areas of the economic, social and cultural life of the USSR. His rich political and state experience, his firmness and integrity in safeguarding the interests of the people, his wisdom and high moral qualities rightfully won him tremendous respect far beyond the borders of Azerbaijan. I would like to express hope that personalities like Heydar Aliyev will emerge from the walls of this school in the future. There is no doubt that our young compatriots will become a strong bridge of friendship and cooperation between our fraternal peoples and countries. I hope young people will receive excellent education and upbringing, will be in demand and contribute to the common cause of strengthening friendship and cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan. As Heydar Aliyev said: “The future progress of our society will largely depend on what and how we teach the youth today.”

It is important to note that the education of the younger generation is always in our spotlight, and this is natural because the present and future of any country is directly related to quality education and the ability to apply the acquired knowledge for the benefit of society. I am convinced that children will receive high-quality education within the walls of this wonderful school, that they will be brought up as true patriots of the country and professionals in their field!

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Dear friends.

I also want to note that we will also attend the opening of another school named after the outstanding thinker and poet of the Azerbaijani people, Nizami Ganjavi. This famous poet, who worked under the literary pseudonym Nizami in the 12th century, left a huge legacy that not only enriched the Azerbaijani people, but, I am sure, is inscribed in golden letters in the literary treasury of all mankind. Such poems written by Nizami as “Treasury of Secrets”, “Leyli and Majnun”, “Seven Beauties”, "Isgandarnama”, “Khosrov and Shirin” and many others left a huge imprint on the further development of the literature of the Middle East and Central Asia in the Middle Ages.

Dear friends, I am sure that the general education schools named after Heydar Aliyev and Nizami Ganjavi will become centers of friendship and bridges of cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan and make a worthy contribution to the deepening and expansion of cooperation in the cultural, humanitarian and educational fields.

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Dear friends.

In conclusion, it is gratifying to note that the relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan have intensified this year, reaching a completely new level of strategic partnership.

All these important achievements would not have been possible without your personal attention, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, and without the active work of your entire team.

I express my sincere gratitude to our Azerbaijani friends.

I wish the teams of these two wonderful schools great success and the best of luck, and the peoples of our two brotherly countries well-being and prosperity!

Thank you for your attention.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

-Dear Sadyr Nurgozhoyevich, dear friends, dear teachers and pupils of the school.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the President of Kyrgyzstan for the decision to name this school after the outstanding son of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev. This is one of the largest schools in Bishkek. We regard this as a sign of friendship and brotherhood between our peoples, as a tribute to the memory of Heydar Aliyev. Also, as Sadyr Nurgozhoyevich has noted, we will visit another school today and it will be named after another outstanding son of Azerbaijan, Nizami Ganjavi – a poet, thinker and the pride of the Azerbaijani people. These are significant events that reflect the nature and spirit of the relations between our fraternal countries.

Yesterday, we together participated in the opening of the Kyrgyzstan-Azerbaijan Friendship Park, which, in addition to being a wonderful and modern place of recreation, also symbolizes the brotherhood of our peoples. These significant events we are experiencing today will leave a deep imprint in the memory of our peoples for many years to come. I am confident that the fraternal relations between our countries will gain new dynamism and receive a new impetus following my state visit.

Heydar Aliyev is an outstanding personality who left a deep mark on history. As the President of Kyrgyzstan has said, regardless of the place of work and the nature of the public and political system, he always defended the interests of Azerbaijan. Both in Soviet times and as the leader of Azerbaijan, he turned the Azerbaijan Republic from one of the backward republics in terms of socioeconomic development into one of the most advanced republics of the former USSR, and also later, when he oversaw the vast areas of the economic and industrial potential of the USSR as first deputy chairman of the government and afterwards, when the people of Azerbaijan called upon him to save the young Republic of Azerbaijan from collapsing in the most difficult period. We were on the brink of an abyss when not only did we lose territories as a result of the occupation and military aggression of the neighboring country, but also plunged into chaos and tragedy of a fratricidal civil war. The hardest war is the civil war. Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani people experienced the bitterness of that. Only thanks to the resolve and determination of Heydar Aliyev and the faith of the Azerbaijani people in him, he managed to stop the fraternal bloodshed, stop Azerbaijan from sliding into chaos, save our young republic from fragmentation and put Azerbaijan on the path of development. He strengthened stability and security, attracted investment, laid the foundation for a modern Azerbaijani army. Therefore, when we say that today's Azerbaijan is the brainchild of Heydar Aliyev, we are absolutely right. We, his successors, are following in his footsteps, of course, taking into account the specifics of the situation, taking into account the changing world, taking into account Azerbaijan's modern capabilities and the challenges we are facing. One of the testaments he left behind for us was the restoration of territorial integrity, and we fulfilled it with honor two years ago.

Every child, every young boy and girl, every teenager is told both at home and at school to study well. The kids must have heard this so many times that are probably tired. But this is actually what we will always encourage you to do because this is the right path into the future. Knowledge and education are the factors that will allow you the opportunity to take a worthy place in society and contribute to the strengthening of your state. I think an example would work better than any instructions to study well. I can cite the example of Heydar Aliyev and his certificate of secondary education. He is an example for all students of Azerbaijani schools. There is not a single “four” there, all marks are “fives”. I don't know what system of evaluation there is in Kyrgyzstan – it has been changed in Azerbaijan. But in Soviet times, a “five” was the highest mark. So he studied well from a very early age – both at school and then at the university. And he also treated any work he had to do just as responsibly. I must also say that the role of Heydar Aliyev in the upbringing of the modern generation of Azerbaijanis also stems from the Soviet era when Azerbaijan was the only republic of the former USSR which, at the insistence of Heydar Aliyev, had the right to send about a thousand Azerbaijani boys and girls to leading universities of the USSR without a recruitment. In other words, they took exams in Baku and were sent to leading universities of the USSR. Thus, the personnel potential was generated and it is still in great demand in Azerbaijan today. I would also like to mention that the foundation laid by Heydar Aliyev in the field of army building has allowed us to successfully defend our territory. It was by his decision that a military school named after General Jamshid Nakhchivansky was established in Baku in the 1970s, training children for military service. This foresight of Heydar Aliyev, his vision of the future – as if he foresaw that Azerbaijan would become an independent state one day, that we would need an army, we would need specialists. And all this happened and we had to be ready for any situation.

I would like to once again express my gratitude to the President of Kyrgyzstan and the brotherly Kyrgyz people for such an attitude towards the memory of Heydar Aliyev. At the end of my speech, I would also like to invite teachers and students of the Heydar Aliyev School and the Nizami Ganjavi School to visit Azerbaijan. I have now issued relevant instructions. I invite you to spend your next holidays in Azerbaijan. We will organize your visit, your stay in Baku and, if you wish, in other places in Azerbaijan. On the whole, I think that it is necessary to start working on establishing such relations and contacts between our secondary educational institutions. This will educate our youth in the spirit of cooperation, brotherhood and friendship. This will also enrich us mutually. Thank you again for today's wonderful gift to all the people of Azerbaijan. I wish the brotherly people of Kyrgyzstan peace and prosperity. Thank you.

X X X

The heads of state then viewed the school.

Classes will be held in two shifts at the School-Gymnasium educational complex No20 named after Heydar Aliyev.

The school building features classrooms, rich library, two assembly halls, canteen, gyms, basketball, volleyball, football pitches, choreography halls, medical points, and aesthetic studios.