Baku, September 15, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has reviewed School No. 148 after repair and reconstruction in Sabunchu District of Baku on September 15, the Day of Knowledge.

The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the official opening of the school.

President Ilham Aliyev reviewed the conditions created in the school.

The President of Azerbaijan then met with the teachers and students of the school.

After congratulating the teachers and students of the school on the start of a new school year, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear teachers and children!

I sincerely congratulate you on the start of a academic year. I hope the children will study well and teachers pass on their knowledge to children.

It is a remarkable day today also because this school has actually been rebuilt.

When I came here, I was shown the previous state of the school. I saw that the school building was in a very unattractive, unrepaired and unsafe condition. The old building was knocked down and a beautiful, comfortable building constructed in its place. The additional building has also been overhauled. Construction work has been carried out in a short time. Now the school meets the highest standards - spacious classrooms, wide hallways, a beautiful and elegant assembly hall, indoor and outdoor sports facilities. So there are all conditions for studying well here. The construction of this school shows once again that the Azerbaijani state attaches great importance to education and training of the younger generation.

More than 10 school buildings have been renovated and constructed in Baku this year. In recent years, more than 250 schools have been reconstructed, built or repaired in Baku. There are more than 350 schools in Baku. This process continues. I am sure that there will be no school left without renovation in Baku in the next year or two.

All other things in our country are also going well. Schools are being built. Over the past 10 years we have built more than 3,000 schools in the districts. We can say that the material and technical infrastructure of education has significantly improved. The quality of education is improving and should improve further. Results in such a wonderful school should be good. The level of education determines the overall level of development of each country. Countries where people are educated and literate develop fast.

We have literacy rate at the highest level – close to 100 per cent. I think this is a great achievement. At the same time, technological development, the development of science and high technology in the world require us to align our development with global trends. The main condition for this is the level of education.

Our young people must be knowledgeable and competent in order to take a worthy place in the future and contribute to the overall development of our country. Educated and literate societies are not prone to undesirable influences. As we see in the world today, there are ideological wars, and there are special programs related to youth. Under the guise of globalization, different countries take certain measures, which eventually leads to problems in these countries. We must try to make sure that Azerbaijan’s sustainable and successful development becomes eternal. After all, we have introduced our own model of development to the world. The world today is talking about the Azerbaijani model of development. This model is underpinned by our independence, our national values, patriotism and independent policy.

Young people also watch and see the developments unfolding in many parts of the world today. Young people are only in the process of shaping up their views, and sometimes it is not too difficult to influence them. Therefore, we must protect our young people from alien influences, from the "values" that are not typical of us.

Under the guise of globalization, identification is taking place. Some international circles want to establish their influence points. But we have our own way. We have lived with the dream of independence for centuries, and live well as an independent country today. There is security, peace of mind, public and political order, stability and development in the country. Look at the crisis in many countries. In the meantime, such excellent schools, roads are built in Azerbaijan and work on landscaping is done. This year we hosted the European Games at the highest level. I want to emphasize the role of our youth here. After all, our young people won medals and elevated the glory of our state. Thousands of young people took part in the organization of the Games as volunteers. So these are the realities of today's Azerbaijan, and we should cherish them. In the future, the youth will run our country. The future of Azerbaijan depends on their knowledge, literacy and attachment to the motherland.

Today, Azerbaijan is in good hands. No outside force can affect our will and independence. No matter how hard they try, it is all meaningless. The pressure and threats aimed at us, the attacks are explained by our independent policy. Some forces are trying to subjugate Azerbaijan, so that we lived and acted according to the will of others. It is impossible because our successful development rests only on an independent policy. Independent policy is based on the will of our people, our national values and interests. For us, the priority is the interests of Azerbaijan, security and well-being of Azerbaijani citizens.

Seeing that this pressure and smear campaigns are futile, they resort to other methods. We are ready for that. We are giving and will continue to give an adequate response to that. We must make sure that no foreign power can interfere with our successful development. I am sure that this will be the case because the Azerbaijani state today is built on a solid foundation, has a sufficiently strong potential and we confidently lead our country forward.

The main thing is that the younger generation is brought up in the national spirit. This issue is as important as knowledge and literacy today. You, teachers, should also try to raise our young people and children in the national spirit, to make sure that they are attached to the motherland, love it and perceive our independence as the most important asset. In particular, today's realities enable every patriot of his country to feel proud, because our policy both in the international plane and within the country, the work carried out is very valuable.

Patriotism, national spirit and national values - these are the cornerstones of our society. Some external forces are trying to undermine these foundations and separate us from our roots. We have lived as part of other countries and empires for centuries, but managed to preserve national dignity, language, religion, customs and traditions. We have preserved and continue to preserve them. Those trying to undermine the moral foundations of our society want to destroy our country. This is their goal. Therefore, today's Azerbaijan, built on a solid foundation of national and spiritual values, plays a role in regional stability. The younger generation should be attached to the motherland and be patriotic. The motherland should be top priority for these people.

Today we live in the information age, in the era of the Internet. The number of Internet users in Azerbaijan has reached 75 per cent. Even small kids use the Internet better than us. All the information is available. Just pay attention to the terrible events taking place in Europe, to the way the poor and refugees fleeing from the war are tortured. Are these European values?! Are these the principles they have been proclaiming for many years?! Where is tolerance, where is multiculturalism, kindness, mercy – where are they?! We do not see that! We see only hatred, religious and ethnic hostility, discrimination, xenophobia, Islamophobia, fascism, racism. Are these their values?! Some people want to introduce it here. We do not need such values. Let them have them.

The crisis experienced in Europe today is a moral crisis, a moral shock. European values, we can say, do not look the way they are described. We do not see that. Therefore, the world is changing, international law is violated, some countries and circles reveal their true colors and can no longer hide behind a mask. Therefore, we must be prepared for this.

National values, morality, patriotism, dignity and national pride - these are our values. We will cherish those values, respond and will continue to respond adequately to the ongoing campaign against us. No outside force can affect our will and make us deviate from the path of independence and freedom. I emphasize this today, on the Day of Knowledge, for our young people to hear, for the whole of Azerbaijani youth and Azerbaijani society to know. We will defend our country and the choice of the Azerbaijani people. Our choice is development, progress, stability, good will and kindness. These are Azerbaijani values – the values that we have proclaimed and see in life.

Therefore, I am confident that we will successfully meet all the tasks ahead of us. We have the will, broad economic opportunities and an independent policy. We are creating and will continue to create such wonderful works, so that our children studied in good schools and teachers worked in good conditions. I congratulate you again!

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Following the meeting, a picture was taken.