Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the Sumgayit Olympic Sports Complex

Dear friends, dear residents of Sumgayit!

Let me warmly salute all of you and sincerely congratulate you on the opening of the Sumgayit Olympic Sports Complex.

I am very pleased that such a beautiful and magnificent Olympic Center has been established in Sumgayit. It has all the opportunities and possibilities to do sports. The people of Sumgayit are receiving a wonderful and comfortable Olympic centre. The establishment of this center shows that the government of Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the development of sports. Several sports facilities have been built and commissioned in Sumgayit in recent years. A Paralympic Centre was built three years ago. A Children's Sports Centre was established earlier this year. Now we are inaugurating the Olympic Complex.

We usually discuss our sporting results at the end of the year. Such meetings are traditionally held at the National Olympic Committee in Baku. This time we will hold it here today. We are celebrating the opening of this Olympic Complex and will also award our athletes and representatives of our sporting community.

2011 has been a successful year for Azerbaijani sports. Our athletes have won great victories in various international competitions. We have won over 700 medals, and this process successfully continues. I hope that 2012 will also be successful for our sports. 2012 is the year of Olympic Games and we wish our athletes great victories in the Olympics.

Sport is a very important area for development of any country. I am glad that Azerbaijani sport is successfully developing, Azerbaijan is known worldwide as a sports nation, and the victories of our athletes make us genuinely happy. The sporting fame of Azerbaijan is at a high level. In 2011 our country hosted international sporting events, including the World Championship in Boxing. Azerbaijan has repeatedly played host to international competitions and every time our guests indicate that these competitions are conducted at a high level, that our organizational capabilities are very good. This year, new sports complexes have been put into operation in our districts. Four Olympic sports complexes have been built: in Tovuz, Imishli, Gabala and Sumgayit. This process is ongoing. Currently we are building or are preparing to build another 10 Olympic sports complexes. I am very pleased that athletes and children, adolescents and youth train at these complexes. Children are our future. A wonderful young generation is growing up in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan was worthily represented at the World Youth Games. This process has been ongoing for many years. Professional athletes demonstrate their capabilities, multiply the sporting glory of our country. At the same time, young athletes and children are growing up in Azerbaijan. We have attracted many people to this area. This is a wonderful phenomenon which makes us all very happy. Our young generation must be healthy. It must be both physically healthy and, as citizens of the country, have very high moral values.

We do hope that this wonderful trend will be continued in the coming years. Next year is the year of Olympic Games. Besides, Azerbaijan will play host to the football world championship among girls next year. It will be a major and prestigious competition. To conduct it at a high level, the national stadium named after Tofig Bahramov is now under renovation. We will soon begin to renovate the Sumgayit city stadium. Stadiums are built in other cities. So Azerbaijan has already asserted itself in the world as a sporting nation and this is the result of the work done. We hope to succeed in the Olympics. There are enough grounds to say that. In recent years our athletes have won victories in world and European championships. Azerbaijani sportsmen are reckoned with today, our activities are also appreciated in the international Olympic family.

In short, Azerbaijani sport is developing, a sports infrastructure is being created. Every district has excellent opportunities for doing sport. Beautiful Olympic sports complexes will be opened in every district center in the near future.

Sport is an integral part of our life. The development of sport is evidence of overall development of any country. The successes achieved in this area certainly inspire us for further successes. We cannot be complacent with the results achieved. We must only look to the future to achieve even greater victories.

We are paying great attention to the development of Sumgayit. There are specific plans on turning Sumgayit into a modern industrial hub. In essence, Sumgayit was set up as an industrial town. Today Sumgayit is developing as a modern industrial city. The industrial enterprises that are and will be created here will play an important part in implementing the industrialization program in Azerbaijan. We are already in the first phase of this program. We have created a major Sumgayit industrial park here, there are about 10 modern enterprises. Their products are both exported and consumed domestically.

At the next stage we will set up an industrial township in Sumgayit. It will consist of new chemical plants. Appropriate instructions have been issued to this end. Large enterprises will be set up here with the participation of both public and private sectors. There will also be excellent conditions for the development of small and medium businesses. The government of Azerbaijan consistently channels major funds into this program, we will do that. Additional infrastructure projects are envisaged to realize the industrial potential of Sumgayit fully. The power stations built here earlier are contributing to the solution of these issues. But considering the successful development of Sumgayit and the country as a whole, we may need to create new generating capacities in the future.

Today we will lay the foundation of a plant producing nitrogen fertilizer urea in Sumgayit. It will operate the most sophisticated technologies. This plant will be highly important for the country, because we have to import most of the fertilizer required for agricultural development. The plant will not only enable us to provide ourselves, but will also enhance our export potential. If we consider that farmers are receiving fertilizer on favorable terms, the construction of this plant in Azerbaijan, in particular in Sumgayit, is highly important. We also have plans regarding other areas. I repeat: we have specific programs on turning Sumgayit into a modern industrial center. We have specific implementation mechanisms and we will do that.

At the same time, we need to update the entire infrastructure, the whole public infrastructure of the city. Water, sewer lines, gas supply, power lines – the bulk of this work has already been completed. But we will continue dealing with these issues. We are already implementing specific programs to turn Sumgayit into an architecturally beautiful city. I keep these issues under control, we have concrete plans to make Sumgayit even nicer. We are landscaping parks. We have decided to start the construction of a new seaside boulevard here. When I last visited Sumgayit, I said that the standards of Baku should be applied to architecture and construction in Sumgayit. Baku is one of the most beautiful cities in the world today. Sumgayit should not lag behind. The buildings constructed in the old days should be restored and become nicer. The construction of new buildings should follow a beautiful architectural style.

So the socioeconomic and utility issues of the city will be resolved, Sumgayit will turn into a major industrial hub and a beautiful and modern city. I want to reiterate that I pay special attention to the development of Sumgayit. I have repeatedly visited the city and will be coming here often in the future because there is still a lot to be done here.

Dear friends, 2011 is coming to an end. Our country is successfully completing this year. All our domestic issues are being resolved. 2011 has also been successful for our country. Azerbaijan has strengthened its positions in the world, the situation at home is very positive. There is development, construction, creative work, landscaping everywhere – in cities, villages, everywhere. This is our strategic course. Azerbaijan is developing and moving forward successfully. There is a lot to do in the future. I am sure that all our plans will be implemented.

Let me heartily congratulate you on this wonderful event again and wish all the people of Sumgayit happiness and good health.

Thank you.