Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the ceremony to unveil the statue of national hero Koroglu

- Dear friends! It is a remarkable and unforgettable day in the history of our city today. We are gathered in this wonderful park in the heart of Baku to unveil the statue of a prominent personality, the heroic son of the Azerbaijani people, Koroglu. Let me sincerely congratulate you and all the people of Azerbaijan on this wonderful occasion.

Koroglu is our national hero. Koroglu is a symbol of patriotism and courage. Koroglu has always lived in the hearts of the people of Azerbaijan. Koroglu’s service to the nation has always been remembered and appreciated by the grateful Azerbaijani people.

The character of Koroglu is one of patriotism, courage, bravery and valor. Koroglu epitomizes all the best qualities inherent in Azerbaijani people. The factor of patriotism, which is still very relevant today, is clearly observed in Koroglu’s character.

Our prominent artists have addressed the theme of Koroglu at different times. The “Koroglu” opera composed by brilliant Uzeyir Hajibayli in the 1930s is still very much alive and will live on forever. The overture to the “Koroglu” opera is played at all official ceremonies. Tantamount to our national anthem, this inseparable asset of the Azerbaijani people is still very relevant today.

There are statues of Koroglu in different parts of Azerbaijan. But there was no statue of Koroglu in Baku and we have bridged this gap today. I signed an order on erecting a statue of Koroglu in Baku in 2009. Our talented sculptor Tokay Mammadov has created a beautiful and magnificent piece of work and the process of selecting an appropriate location for the statue began. I wanted this beautiful and magnificent statue to be erected in a wonderful location of our city and today we are gathered for this historic event.

I want to reiterate that there are statue of Koroglu in different parts of Azerbaijan. Now there is one in Baku too. From this day onwards, this park has been renamed into the Koroglu Park.

The “Koroglu” epos is a very important means of educating the young generation. Because our youth should be raised and educated in the spirit of patriotism. The citizens of the independent Azerbaijan should love their Motherland and people. Koroglu was a man of his people, he lived for his people, he was a good man and a great military commander. Koroglu was also a very talented individual – he was a poet and an Ashug. I want to say again that he epitomized the best qualities of the Azerbaijani people. Our youth should know the positive characters from our past, must have a good knowledge about them.

Last year we marked the 20th anniversary of our independence. But we have a long and diverse history and culture. We have oral folk arts. We have wonderful works of art and great personalities. Our citizens, especially the youth, should know these great people. On the one hand, the erection of the statue of Koroglu is a manifestation of justice being done, but on the other it is vivid evidence of the greatness of the Azerbaijani people.

We cherish the memories of our great personalities. Several statues of prominent personalities were erected in Baku last year. The statues of Zivarbay Ahmadbayov and Fikrat Amirov were erected last year. Today we are gathered to unveil the statue of Koroglu. The statues of Babak, Gara Garayev and Bulbul will be set up in wonderful locations of Baku in the near future. Appropriate instructions have already been given.

In Soviet years too, statues of prominent representatives of our nation were erected on the initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev. This policy is continued today. These statues show again how great and talented the Azerbaijani people are and how many prominent personalities we have had. Their activities, lives and affinity to the people are an example for us all. They have shown this path to us. And this is a path of justice.

Koroglu was also in favor of justice. Koroglu was on the side of the poor. Koroglu was an outstanding personality and a great citizen who could not tolerate injustice and fought against it. I want to repeat that we need to use these positive characters as role models for our young generation. I am very pleased that Azerbaijani youths are patriotic and attached to the Motherland. They love their Motherland. Our citizens are rightly proud to be citizens of Azerbaijan.

Over the 20 years our country has covered a great and glorious road, achieved major successes in all spheres. Underlying our successes are national moral values. It is possible to build a strong economy, have a strong standing in the region – even though it requires hard work, but no country or people can develop in the absence of national moral values. Our advantage is that our young and strong state rests on a solid foundation. It rests on centuries-long history and culture. National moral values are the most important matter for us. We certainly share the universal values, but our national Azerbaijani values are most important to us.

As in any other sphere in our country, there is revival and development in the sphere of national moral values. We are building a strong and modern state. But we are closely attached to our traditions, history and the past. We are living in a globalizing world, which inevitably affects us too. No country can remain unaffected. At such a period we should pay particular attention to national values. People should be raised in the national spirit. They should treat their Motherland, our past, history and outstanding personalities with respect. I am very glad that the present-day reality in Azerbaijan is based on these factors. We are distinguished from some other countries by the fact that the state of Azerbaijan rests on a national foundation. At the same time, representatives of all nationalities and religions living in Azerbaijan are our valued citizens and Azerbaijan’s experience in this respect has been attracting a great deal of attention and interest.

The unveiling of this statue has also paved the way for the landscaping of this fine park. We had instructed the Mayor’s Office of Baku to landscape this park too and make it beautiful. There is extensive landscaping under way in Baku. All the parks and gardens are rebuilt and landscaped. Wonderful recreation places are made available for people. Baku is indeed one of the most beautiful cities in the world today. Baku has a historical beauty. Ancient buildings impart special beauty to our city. At the same time, the process of turning Baku into a modern megacity is successfully ongoing. There shouldn’t be and there isn’t any contradiction between these two directions. Modern buildings and the old city should and do complement each other. The improvement of Baku is a very important matter for every resident of Baku and every citizen of Azerbaijan. Everyone coming to Baku is impressed with its beauty. Baku too is our great national asset.

I want to repeat that the erection of the statue of Koroglu is a highly significant event. It is a symbol of our respect for the historic personality, of our attitude to the past and recognition of Koroglu’s courage on the part of Azerbaijani people. I am sure that this wonderful work will gratify all Azerbaijanis. This is what the statue of Koroglu should be like – beautiful, magnificent, majestic and formidable.

I would like to thank the author of this work, prominent sculptor Tokay Mammadov, again. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the creation of this statue. Let me congratulate the residents of Baku and all the people of Azerbaijan on this wonderful occasion. Thank you!