From Professor of the Graduate School of the University of California Lotfi A.Zadeh

Dear President Ilham Aliyev,

It is hard for me to find adequate words to let You know how deeply I am honored by the High State Award to me of the Friendship Order, with the imprimatur of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in recognition of my development of fuzzy logic and its applications to the conception, design and utilization of intelligent systems.

For me this Award has a special significance because throughout my life my interest in science has been deeply influenced by my early schooling in Baku and the deep-seated tradition of respect for science and culture in Azerbaijan. You are a personification of this great tradition.

I am deeply impressed by the progress in the socio-economic development of Azerbaijan. With foresight and vision, you have put forward the Black Gold into Human Gold Doctrine, and have made it a cornerstone of the basic policies which govern Azerbaijan-policies which are aimed at making independent Azerbaijan a citadel of strength and well-being. Your farsighted policies and bold initiatives have brought You recognition as an outstanding leader on the world scene. Azerbaijan is fortunate to have You as its leader at a time when the world is rocked with political and economic crises in recent years. You and your government have made highly impressive progress toward moving Azerbaijan to a position of leadership in its region, especially in the realm of information-communication technologies. Given your leadership and vision, my expectation is that in coming years Azerbaijan will continue to move forward politically, economically, culturally and technologically.

The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has generously supported my collaborative research with scientists in universities and institutes in Azerbaijan. The joint projects are intended to lead to an enhancement of the quality of higher education and strengthen science and technology in Azerbaijan. For me, it is a privilege to take part in the remarkable progress which Azerbaijan has made and is continuing to make under Your farsighted leadership and Your forward-looking government.

I should like to thank You again for the award to me of the Friendship Order, and for your government’s support of my work through collaborative projects. I hope to have the honor to meet with you again to express to You, personally, my great appreciation and deep respect. You, and my friends in Baku occupy a very warm spot in my heart.

Again, with my deep respect and great appreciation.

Sincerely,

Lotfi A.Zadeh

Professor in the Graduate School and Director,
Berkeley Initiative in Soft Computing (BISC)