Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the Oguz city recreation and culture park

- Hello, it is a wonderful park! When I last visited Oguz, I reviewed the design of the future park. It is now ready, there are excellent conditions and it certainly lends beauty to Oguz. In general, this part of the district has significantly improved in recent years. if you remember, there were no buildings here. First we built a hospital, then an Olympic Center and now this park. So the entrance to Oguz has changed dramatically, it has been landscaped and improved. This is very gratifying. As anywhere else, there is development in Oguz and all the issues are being resolved – both social and economic.

Along with this park, we will also celebrate the opening of an industrial enterprise here. This is the only glucose producing enterprise not only in Azerbaijan, but also in the whole region. The opening of this factory will certainly create new jobs and contribute to agricultural development. The raw materials for this enterprise will be agricultural produce. The overall future development of Oguz District is associated with agriculture and tourism. This is our policy. As regards tourism, first steps are already being taken. When I last came here, we celebrated the opening of a new hotel. It is now in operation. The number of tourists is growing. Both domestic tourism should develop and the number of foreign tourists should grow.

There are opportunities to do that. The general director of the World Tourism Organization was in Baku yesterday. He and I had a meeting, it is already acknowledged worldwide that Azerbaijan possesses a great tourism potential. Of course, different districts have different tourism opportunities. But this region has inherent beauty, nature, air and climate, and we must take advantage of this wealth. I do hope that Oguz will turn into one of Azerbaijan’s tourism centers in the future. Landscaping, construction and improvement work is currently under way in this whole area, the road is under construction. For the most part, the road from Baku to Oguz is now ready. It will go on to Balakan. Where there is a road, there is development.

An international airport is expected to open in Gabala. This will facilitate travel from other countries. There is also a railway. As you know, Oguz District is not very large in terms of its population. But its potential is quite big. We must make the best use of the district’s potential.

As for social issues, a great hospital was built here several years ago. I have been enquiring – it works and provides excellent service. There are high-level opportunities for doing sports. Schools are being built and this process must be continued. We will continue dealing with school construction for several more years because there are still unsafe schools. It is true that there aren’t too many of those, but there shouldn’t be and won’t be any.

Work is under way in all our districts, including Oguz, to resolve other social issues. Gasification is ongoing. It is not at the desired level yet. According to my information, gasification is at a level of 35 per cent in Oguz. But the goal has been set of raising this level to the maximum, to about 90 per cent. So key gasification issues in Oguz District should be resolved in the next two years.

Drinking water and sanitation projects are ongoing. They too should take around one to two years. There will be no outstanding drinking water issues afterwards. The construction of rural roads is also on the agenda, bridges are built. So there should be and there is all-round development – both here and elsewhere. Every district has its own features, natural setting and industrial opportunities. As you know, specific programs have been prepared and are now implemented for each district. Additional funds are regularly allocated for the development of districts. Funds have been allocated to Oguz District in the last three years and this will be continued so that all the improvement and landscaping work is conducted even more beautifully here.

It is not my first time in Oguz. This is my fourth visit to Oguz as President. Of course, my attention to Oguz is not limited to visits, but I want to repeat that I visit all districts, examine the situation and see what else we need to do, what further steps we should take and how the enterprises, buildings and facilities we opened earlier operate now. This means both control and a way of preparing further steps, so to speak.

Let me salute you all again. We will have many more meetings in the future. I wish all the people of Oguz every success. Thank you.

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A 20-year period is a milestone for any country. As other allied republics, Azerbaijan became independent 20 years ago. Of course, the work done in the 20 years shows that we have used the historic opportunity, the historic chance very successfully, with great skill. Our people had dreamed of independence for centuries. But we were not independent. In these 20 years we have proved to the world that we can live, develop and enjoy international respect as an independent state.

The processes under way in our country are obvious. The work carried out in every district, including Oguz, is obvious. This development is evident in every district. The gist and goal of our domestic policies are to help our citizens live even better, create even better conditions for them, resolve social issues even more successfully, raise wages and pensions, improve our cities in line with contemporary requirements. It is impossible not to see this in Azerbaijan today.

As for our foreign policy, success in this area should also be backed up by specific results. We have repeatedly stated this, but I want to repeat it and life is proving me right – Azerbaijan’s foreign political course stems from our domestic policies. This course aims to secure the interests of the Azerbaijani people. It is an independent policy. We have proved that we will pursue our policies as an independent state. I want to repeat that this policy is not aimed at anyone. Its objectives are to expand cooperation, increase the number of our friends and, I repeat, secure our national interests to the maximum extent possible.

The election to the UN Security Council has demonstrated the respect and confidence of the international community in Azerbaijan. A total of 155 countries have supported Azerbaijan. This is a great factor. There are slightly fewer than 200 countries in the UN, and 155 of them are with us, believe is us. As you know, this vote wasn’t very smooth, there was very strong competition, but Azerbaijan eventually won after 17 rounds. In fact, we were ahead of other states with a large margin from the first to the last round. And this is a logical result of 20 years, a conclusion and a visible result.

In essence, there are more results: our position in the region is strengthening, the number of our partners is increasing, Azerbaijan is pursuing a flexible diplomacy – this is done on a regular basis. So this is not just a one-off. We have worked for years to attain this victory. We have multiplied our successes, enhanced our authority and opportunities and reasserted ourselves in the world as a modern and strong state loyal to its values. Our domestic potential, the domestic stability and civic unity certainly make us even stronger in international affairs. If we had serious problems at home, our regional positions would have inevitably weakened. One of the pillars of our regional stance is the domestic stability and the unity between the authorities and the people. These are the realities of the present-day Azerbaijan. Twenty years is a long period. We have come a long way. In the next 20 years Azerbaijan should become one of the world’s developed countries.

We are now working on programs for the coming years. A new State Program covering 2013-2018 is being prepared. Its concept is being developed. I have several views and plans regarding that. I am sure that Azerbaijan will continue to develop as rapidly as it has been over these years.

Let me salute you all again and wish you good health. Please convey my greetings to all the people of Oguz. Thank you.