PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV ATTENDS CEREMONY MARKING 90th ANNIVERSARY OF AZERBAIJAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
President Ilham Aliyev attended a solemn ceremony dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Tuesday, at the Gulustan palace in Baku. The President and the First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were warmly welcomed here by audience.
President Ilham Aliyev made a speech at the event.
“The establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the event of historical significance - it was first ever democracy in the East and in the Muslim world” the President said.
“The first republic existed for a short time - two years later, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic declined for both objective and subjective reasons. It proves that it is much easier to get independence than to preserve it” he said.
The President recalled that “this bitter story could repeat itself in early 1990s, but the situation started to stabilize after Heydar Aliyev returned to power in Azerbaijan. “It was under the great leader that in 1993, the people of Azerbaijan managed to put an end to the economic, political, and military crisis, and Azerbaijan entered the period of development, and embarked on the course of democracy and market economy” he said.
The President went on to say that the radical political and economic reforms helped the country to get much stronger. He pointed out that the “Contract of the Century” signed in 1994 as a result of Heydar Aliyev’s oil strategy, is what even today ensures prosperity and independence of Azerbaijan.
“Today, Azerbaijan is strengthening its position in the world. All our efforts - from both political and economic standpoint - are targeted at strengthening of the country. Thanks to this policy, we have stability and socio-political order fully established in Azerbaijan,” the Azerbaijani leader said.
President Aliyev underlined that the only serious problem the country is facing is the unresolved conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. “You are aware of my position. I repeatedly voiced my opinion on this issue. The problem can be resolved only within the borders of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. The reason for the long protraction of the problem is probably that Azerbaijan does not go back a step from its principled position,” he said, adding “I think in the coming months, and in 2009, we will be more concrete in expressing our thoughts with respect to resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, because further protraction is unacceptable.”
“The first Democratic Republic existed for two years. Today’s independent state of Azerbaijan is almost seventeen years old and will live forever,” said the President of Azerbaijan.
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