Consul General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Dubai: “Despite 30 years of occupation and large-scale destruction and devastation on the liberated territories, Azerbaijan is ready to look to the future”
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 27 May 2022: On this day, one hundred and four years ago, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic declared its independence and established a fully-functioning state which held the true principles of democracy and law above everything.
Even though there were tense geopolitical challenges, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic managed to implement many progressive reforms, including the granting of the suffrage to women (for the first time in Islamic world) and the establishment of parliament in 1918. Apart from this, Azerbaijani language was declared as an official state language and special attention was paid for the development of culture and education, modernization of national army and security forces.
Celebrating this occasion, Consul General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Dubai, H.E. Mr. Javidan Huseynov said, “From the first days of its existence, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, based on the principles of people’s power and equality of people, has eliminated racial, national, religious and class inequality by giving equal rights to all citizens of the country”.
After the Bolshevik occupation in April 1920, Azerbaijan was able to restore its independence on 18 October, 1991, after almost 71 years. Returning to power in 1993, national leader Heydar Aliyev took decisive measures to protect the statehood of Azerbaijan and established lasting socio-political stability in the country. By pursuing an independent policy, he was able to take major steps in order to secure national interests and determine long-term strategic directions for Azerbaijan.
“Our great leader has repeatedly stated that if we build a democratic Azerbaijani state today, we are indebted to the Democratic Republic. Highly appreciating the place and role of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in our history, Heydar Aliyev said: “We cherished the day of the establishment of the first Democratic Republic and declared it the Day of State Independence of Azerbaijan, and this is our national holiday”, Mr. Huseynov said.
Today, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan continues to strive forward and develop in fast pace. The country is a member of many international and regional organizations, including UN, Council of Europe, OSCE and so on. During 2012-2013, Azerbaijan was also a non-permanent member of UN Security Council. Since October 2019, Azerbaijan has also been presiding Non-Aligned Movement, which consists of 120 countries. This chairmanship has opened a new chapter in its international relations. Azerbaijan has also become a donor country.
H.E. Mr. Huseynov asserted that Azerbaijan is a reliable international partner and initiator of large-scale infrastructure, transport and energy projects in the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan has become a key investment destination in the region for the past years, due to a number of factors, including abundant resources, favourable location, competitive cost of production and of course, friendly laws and hospitality of Azerbaijani people.
The Consul General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Dubai concluded his statement by saying, “After liberating almost 30 years occupied territories of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev has shown the might of the country to all of the world. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been resolved primarily by Azerbaijan, under leadership H.H. Ilham Aliyev through a trilateral statement of November 10 2020 after 44 days of patriotic war. Despite 30 years of occupation and large-scale destruction and devastation on the liberated territories, Azerbaijan is ready to look to the future – to plan its future as part of an integrated South Caucasus region”.
During the occupation, about thirty years, Karabakh was subject to ruthless destruction and looting by the occupants. As a result, most of the social infrastructure, including residential buildings, schools, and hospitals, were totally destroyed, and most parts of the occupied territories were left empty. Despite the fact that the total destruction in Karabakh makes the restoration process complex and time-consuming, Azerbaijan immediately started the restoration process. For this purpose, the plan for socio-economic development of the liberated territories was prepared, and for the implementation of this plan, “Coordination Headquarters” and 17 working groups on different areas were established. In 2021, $2.2 billion was allocated from the state budget for the restoration process. All these actions will enable Azerbaijan to fully integrate the Karabakh economy into the Azerbaijan economy and to use its economic potential in upcoming years.
