I am addressing you on the occasion of the World Azerbaijanis’ Solidarity Day, one of the most important holidays of the Azerbaijani people. Every year since Azerbaijan re-gained its independence, the 31st of December has been celebrating by our compatriots across the world as the day of unity and solidarity.

Azerbaijan’s statehood, respect to our people’s national and moral values, the senses and ideas of belonging to the people of Azerbaijan and affection for Motherland are what constitute the very essence of this holiday initiated by our national leader Heydar Aliyev.

A great deal of work has been done over the past period to enhance and enrich the matter of solidarity of the world Azerbaijanis. The idea of solidarity of Azerbaijanis has transformed from being the public’s initiatives and wishes to practical work, and has become one of the most important trends in the state’s policy. The government has been engaged in purposeful activity for setting up organizations of Azerbaijanis in the countries of their living, and enhancing their unity and organized activities.

Initiated and presided over by Heydar Aliyev in November 2001, the First Congress of the World Azerbaijanis set the tasks ahead, gave a powerful impetus to the process of uniting the Azerbaijanis around their nation, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and played a key role in development of the idea of national unity.

Following the Congress, the State Committee on Working with Azerbaijanis Living in Foreign Countries was set up, and the Law on state policy towards our compatriots was passed. It has fostered setting up organizations of our compatriots abroad as the idea of Azerbaijanism comprising national-moral values and those common to all mankind, and based on belonging to the Azerbaijani people and nation, has widely spread among the Azerbaijanis all over the world.

Today, we can talk about a new stage of pursuing the state policy towards strengthening of unity and solidarity of our compatriots living abroad. It is connected on the one hand, with Azerbaijan’s strengthening politically and economically, the country’s turning into a leading state in the region, and enhancing its international prestige, and on the other hand, with qualitatively new matter of the work with the Azerbaijanis living abroad, and the new tasks ahead.

For the time being, the outstanding tasks of the Azerbaijani government are protection of our compatriots’ human and civic rights enshrined in the international conventions, turning into an organized influential force in countries of their living, and increasing the responsibility for the fates of the world Azerbaijanis.

All of the state bodies should be closely involved in these activities, know their concrete duties, and work in close collaboration. Enhancing the influence of the Azerbaijani communities in foreign countries on local political and economic life, creating unified organizations in these countries, forming influential Azerbaijani lobbies in the world’s leading countries, establishing fruitful cooperation with friendly communities and lobbies are the outstanding tasks of the Azerbaijan Republic and our compatriots abroad.

Purposeful and successive measures should be undertaken to safeguard the national-moral values and progressive traditions of the Azerbaijanis, as well as create cultural centers and ensure their useful activities. Involvement of our compatriots in economic, social and cultural life in Azerbaijan should be ensured, and their role in bringing Azerbaijan’s realities to the world, and strengthening of relationship between their historical Motherland with the countries of their living should be increased.

The Azerbaijanis living abroad should also be actively engaged in timely exposing treacherous plans of Armenian propaganda, resolutely suppress the facts of falsifications of our history and cultural heritage misleading the international community, and should coordinate these activities with relevant state bodies of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is now experiencing a very important and crucial period in its history. Azerbaijan is decisively following the path of integration into the international community bringing all spheres of its life to conformity with modern global criteria.

The parliamentary elections held in our country in November this year became an important step towards democratization of political life, and ensuring human rights and freedoms. In 2005, Azerbaijan’s economy achieved the highest growth rate, its volume has increased by 26 percent; Azerbaijan is the world’s leading country on this indicators. Economic, legal and structural reforms are realized with confidence in our country, and this work will be resolutely continued.

Efforts towards fair settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with international law norms have been enhanced. Full commissioning in 2006 of the main export Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines – the greatest energy project of our era – will change the guise of the whole region opening brand new possibilities to our country. Realization of the oil strategy initiated by Heydar Aliyev will enhance Azerbaijan’s international prestige. All these accomplishments demonstrate that Azerbaijan is on the right path. We are pursuing deliberate policy. Both domestic and foreign policy and safeguarding socio-political stability are the most important conditions for long-lasting and sustainable development of our country. The rapidly growing potential of Azerbaijan will become a powerful factor helping with finding solutions to all of our problems including those concerning the world Azerbaijanis.

Dear compatriots!

I cordially congratulate you on this holiday, and wish all of you good health, well-being, national unity and solidarity, and new accomplishments on the path towards progress of our Motherland.

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 29 December 2005