Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the Gobustan sports center

- I am very pleased to come to Gobustan District again. I am very glad that things in the district are going well, that landscaping and creative work is carried out, that the appearance of the district is changing and that such beautiful facilities are commissioned in Gobustan District. Today, we celebrate the opening of both a youth center and a sports complex. This is a great and remarkable event. The opening of a sports complex is a great event in general, because it will provide people with excellent opportunities to do sports. In particular, we will enable children, adolescents and young athletes to improve their health here. At the same time, I hope that the children training at this Centre will become professional athletes in the future. Today Azerbaijan is a sporting nation. All sports are developing and we have excellent results. Azerbaijani athletes successfully represent the country in various international competitions. Of course, Azerbaijan also ranks highly in the most important sporting event – the Olympic Games. In last year's Olympic Games our athletes won 10 medals. It was a historic achievement, as we finished in 30th place in the world and in 15th in Europe.

Perhaps this and, of course, other factors have played a role in the fact that the inaugural European games will be held in Azerbaijan in 2015. The entire leadership of the European Olympic Committee is visiting Baku these days, holding meetings and presentations. The European Olympic Committee has already set up a Coordination Committee which will work together with Azerbaijan to prepare the European Games at a high level. So we are a sporting country and, of course, should create excellent conditions for sports in all our districts and cities.

We started this program in 2000 and have built 35 Olympic centers since that time. This is the 36th center. In general, this center is hugely important to the development of Gobustan. There is a Youth Center nearby. This is an initiative which has also become widespread in the country in recent years. A youth center is being set up in every city. Such centers have excellent facilities, are very important from a functional point of view because young people can effectively spend their leisure there. Thus, both youth and sports policy in Azerbaijan are developing successfully.

As for the other issues facing the district, they are also being addressed. A gasification program is under way in the district. Gasification has already reached 70 per cent and should be at 100 per cent. Gas lines should also be laid to mountain villages. Water supply projects are also being implemented. In the near future we will begin a project in the area of sanitation. The implementation of infrastructure projects is a priority. Rural roads are being repaired. Local residents once raised the issue, funds were allocated and a road connecting several villages has now been commissioned. These villages are home to 13,000 people. Roads will also be paved to other villages. All these issues are envisaged in the state program on the socioeconomic development of districts. This is also a very important issue.

Large funds are allocated for the construction of rural roads now, so that we could resolve this issue too. I do hope that in the next two to three years all rural roads in Azerbaijan will be reconstructed with high quality and put into operation. These roads, of course, will give an impetus to the overall development of our country.

Of course, the construction of rural roads has an important social function, because citizens should live in normal conditions. In other words, practically all the infrastructure projects are being implemented in Gobustan.

When I came here last time, we celebrated the opening of a power station. That station was the first hybrid station generating renewable energy not only in Azerbaijan, but also in the whole region. It produces electricity both using solar and wind installations. I hope that the electricity needs of Gobustan District will be provided by renewable energy sources in the future. This is a pilot project. I am sure that it will be successful and we will use this experience in other regions in the future.

I know that there are problems too. And these problems are gradually resolved. Schools are under construction. But there are still schools that are in poor condition and should be repaired. We need to revise the design of the central hospital because it was originally built as a village hospital. This issue will also be considered. Additional funds will be allocated for the construction of roads leading to other villages. That is, all this work is scheduled. The work that was not provided will be incorporated into the state program, so that all the infrastructure and social problems of Gobustan could be resolved. Our progress shows that we will achieve that because there is improvement and creative work everywhere in the country, in every town. Major projects are being implemented.

Azerbaijan is developing rapidly. Our development pace is the highest in the world. This is evidenced by the history of the last 10 years. We will continue to grow at a rapid pace although the crisis in the world and in Europe is deepening, people are losing their jobs, jobs are being axed, salaries cut, and we can see the major problems this leads to. But in Azerbaijan we see a completely opposite picture. The crisis has not affected us in any way because we have a very sound policy. We have an independent policy both in the economic sphere and in addressing social issues. This independent policy has saved us from those problems.

Of course, we are integrating and have already integrated into the global economy. We have fully applied the market economy. We have an absolutely independent policy in the economic sphere. This policy manifests itself in economic reforms. At the same time, our financial and credit policies are completely independent as well, the exchange rate of our currency is stable. A year or two ago, the national currencies in many countries of the region underwent depreciation, i.e. dropped in value, and people suffered a lot from that. But in Azerbaijan the exchange rate of the manat is getting stronger by the day, and now 1 manat is equal to 1 euro. So in order to achieve success, there must be a well thought-out policy and an independent course. And these are present in Azerbaijan. To facilitate the successful development of the country in the future, all the programs are available. The second state program on the development of districts will be completed at the end of this year. The government is now working on a third program. The third five-year program will cover the work to be done in all the districts, and by 2018 there will be no economic, social and infrastructure problem left.

At the same time, using the example of Gobustan District we note that the development of each district, regardless of its size, is a priority for us. In terms of its population Gobustan is not a very large district. But there are and will continue to be created all the conditions for life and work here. The beautiful sports and youth centers are a clear demonstration of that.

I congratulate you on this wonderful event and these achievements, and wish you good health and success.