Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the Icheribazar fortress in Gakh after construction and restoration

- My warm greetings to all of you! I am very pleased to come to Gakh again. As you know, this is not my first visit. Every time I come to Gakh and see development, I feel very happy. The district is developing, becoming nicer, such architectural masterpieces have been created. I can say that it is with Gakh that the establishment of such beautiful places in Azerbaijan began.

We have many historical regions, there are such beautiful historical buildings and monuments. But great effort is made to restore historical sites at this level. This small place has been created with great love, taste and respect for history. In fact, what we see here is the work we have inherited from ancient history. But the restoration of these beautiful buildings at this level, the establishment of a center of tourism in the true sense of the word required great professionalism and skill. I am very pleased that this small area, which reflects the historical appearance of Gakh, is now beginning to operate. Artisans demonstrate their work here, there is a beautiful outdoor stage. In other words, there should be more of such wonderful places in Azerbaijan.

I want to repeat: we have a very rich history and monuments. They all must be restored – both in Baku and in all our districts. From the standpoint of historical monuments, Azerbaijan is a very rich state. We need to protect and restore these monuments, especially in historical places of the country, and give preference to the old style. Many new buildings are and will be built in Gakh. These buildings must also be constructed in the style typical of Gakh. I welcome this.

Azerbaijani districts are very diverse. A separate development plan should be designed for each region and district. In some places work has already begun, in others it will begin soon. Of course, these beautiful places will attract tourists. The development of this region will be associated with tourism, and Azerbaijan is dealing with these issues very seriously. This year has been declared the Year of Tourism in Azerbaijan. Beautiful hotels have been opened in the capital and districts. I have attended the opening of a new hotel in Gakh. I can say that the conditions at this hotel are no worse that in the hotels of developed countries. This suggests that investors have confidence in Azerbaijan’s future. Although Gakh is far from the capital, the roads and airports built now and in the future will link Gakh with the capital. We are encouraged by these conditions and this beautiful nature.

But if these conditions are not created, no-one will come here – neither from the country itself nor from abroad. Beautiful nature and natural conditions are our great advantage, especially in such picturesque places as Gakh. But the infrastructure and the service facilities emerging here must also conform to this nature, and I can see that. I want to reiterate that I have been here several times, and every time I see development in Gakh, I feel very happy.

Along with the establishment of tourist facilities, day-to-day problems are also resolved. As you know, specific work is under way to implement all infrastructure projects. We have launched a large water supply project in Gakh. The water problem of the city and some surrounding villages will be fully resolved within two years, as will the problem of sanitation. This is a serious problem not only for Gakh, but also for the entire region. These projects are ongoing in every district, we can’t be pleased with the current situation. Water is supplied intermittently, according to a schedule. Water supply in some parts of Baku is also intermittent and we are taking serious measures to change the situation. This work is done in each region and district, gasification is carried out, roads are built, including rural. All the issues relating to the development of the district will be resolved. The government is fulfilling its obligations. The government allocates funds. The private sector is also joining this work. Investors and business people need to be even more active, so that the country's economy develops comprehensively.

The State Program on the socioeconomic development of districts contains specific instructions on the development of Gakh. They are being fulfilled. This program will be completed in 2013. I am sure that the key infrastructure, social and economic problems of the region will be resolved by then. The entire infrastructure will be reconstructed and we will prepare a new program for the next period. That will be a program of rapid development because in 2003-2013 our focus was more on infrastructure projects. Roads, electricity, gas, water and sanitation projects, the construction of schools, hospitals, sports facilities – in the next two years these issues must be fully resolved across the country. Afterwards, of course, we will face new requirements. Life never stops. Azerbaijan is developing and developing very successfully.

Let me sincerely salute you all again. What I have seen here is, of course, implemented by the district authorities. This initiative was put forward by the leadership. But I also know that the people of Gakh were closely involved in this work as well. I am sure that we are all happy and proud now because there are such beautiful conditions in this beautiful historic region.

I wish you further success.

Х Х Х

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. It is a historic day today. Back in the Soviet times, the great leader declared the national flag of Azerbaijan as the state flag of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The Supreme Majlis of Nakhchivan adopted the flag as a national symbol and petitioned the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan to declare it the official flag of the Azerbaijani state. Unfortunately, there was no immediate reaction to this initiative. But there should have been.

This and subsequent steps brought us closer to independence. Our independence was inevitable. It was obvious that the Soviet Union was about to collapse. But the first steps towards bringing us closer to independence and then to acquire this independence were taken in Azerbaijan by the great leader in Nakhchivan. The adoption of the national flag, the establishment of the New Azerbaijan Party, Nakhchivan’s refusal to hold a referendum to preserve the Soviet Union – all these steps required a great political will and courage because it was not clear at the time when the Soviet Union would fall apart. As a result of the steps taken at that difficult time, the present-day Azerbaijan emerged and managed to protect itself. In 1993, at the most difficult time for our country, Heydar Aliyev took on the responsibility again, this time at national level, and saved Azerbaijan from great woes. This year, we are very pleased and proud to mark the 20th anniversary of our independence with excellent results. The results achieved in the country are obvious. Whatever district you go, you see development, progress and optimism. The situation will grow even better. As you have noted, a graphic example of our international success is that the world is with us. This is a great and historic victory, the result of our work. It shows Azerbaijan’s authority in the world.

I am absolutely sure that all the problems facing the country will be resolved. We can say this with complete confidence as regards domestic and foreign policy. Our domestic policy and economic development are at the highest level. This is confirmed by all influential international organizations. The development observed in Azerbaijan in recent years has never been seen and perhaps will never be experienced in any other country. As a result of our foreign policy, the number of our friends is growing, the world is with Azerbaijan and believes in us. Our biggest problem is the ongoing occupation of our lands. We are trying to resolve this issue through talks. But it is not yet possible. While conducting the talks, we, of course, are strengthening our country. Our strength is measured not only by financial and economic criteria. The strength of each region, the growing capacity of every district are making us stronger. Our strength is in the fact that we have unity, trust and solidarity between the government and the people and, of course, a strong army. We have significantly strengthened our army and it can free our lands at any time. This is known to us, our enemies and the mediators. It is impossible to conceal anything in the modern world. And we didn’t plan to conceal anything either.

On the contrary, during the military parade held in Azerbaijan we showed the people our achievements in building the army. It was a demonstration, a report on the work done in the military sphere. Now there is a huge gap between Armenia and Azerbaijan and this gap will gradually expand further. The mediators are also aware of that. They have become active recently, and we certainly welcome that. The talks I am having with leaders of international organizations show again that mediators are trying to resolve issue soon, so that there is no war and conflict. Everybody understands that this “frozen state” cannot last long. The economic power of Azerbaijan, the already exhausted patience of the Azerbaijani people, our military capability, the demographic advantage. Wherever you look, Azerbaijan is ahead by a huge margin. In the future, this gap will only grow, not shrink, because we know what our future will be like. We have a strong economy, we have natural resources, human potential, the people of Azerbaijan are young. It is also very important. Some countries, particularly in Europe, are expressing growing concerns over the fact that their population is aging. Azerbaijan has very large human resources. The attention we pay to education and science further improves the professionalism of the Azerbaijani youth. Our young people must be professional, educated and patriotic. For them to be professional and educated, the government should create necessary conditions, but to be patriotic certainly requires state propaganda. The situation in the country should enable everyone to say proudly that he is a citizen of this country. Today we can see that. Our citizens, our young people are proud to be the citizens of Azerbaijan.

Every foreign visitor coming to Baku and our districts, provided he is objective of course, can see and acknowledge that Azerbaijan is at its highest level in the world. Baku is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and there will come a time when it will be the most beautiful city. You probably know of our great plans regarding Baku. Our plans are associated not only with Baku, because we are not here to show something to others. We are not here to create a semblance of something. Even in the most remote regions and villages we create a modern infrastructure, build roads, carry out landscaping, so that people could feel comfortable and normal everywhere and be proud to be citizens of Azerbaijan.

I am sure that the people of Gakh and other districts are proud to be citizens of Azerbaijan. We, each one of us, must strengthen our homeland by hard work, our steps and contributions to the common cause.

Let me salute you all again and wish you good health and happiness. We will have many more meetings because there will be many more opening ceremonies in Gakh. The construction of new buildings and facilities is on the agenda. So there will be many openings and we will see each other again. Thank you.