World leaders congratulate Ilham Aliyev on election win
By Aynur Jafarova
Ilham Aliyev, who won the October 9 presidential elections with an overwhelming majority of votes, has received congratulations from a number of world leaders.
Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic sent a congratulatory letter to the Azerbaijani President over his decisive victory in the elections. In his letter the Serbian president expressed confidence that Azerbaijan and Serbia will successfully develop comprehensive cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, based on the traditionally friendly relations between the two countries' peoples.
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves also congratulated President Aliyev in connection with his overwhelming election victory.
He expressed confidence that Azerbaijan and Estonia will further continue to strengthen the excellent relations between the two countries.
Co-chairs of the US Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus Bill Shuster and Steve Cohen also congratulated the Azerbaijani President. The congressmen hailed President Aliyev's re-election as another milestone in strengthening Azerbaijan's civil institutions.
"Nationwide elections offer voters a choice and represent an important part of the democratic process," their letter said.
The congressmen wrote that the U.S. and Azerbaijan enjoy a strong partnership based on shared strategic interests.
"Our nations work together to prevent the spread of extremism and promote tolerance and prosperity globally. We appreciate Azerbaijan's vital contribution to the U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo," the letter said.
Touching on Azerbaijan's role in enhancing European energy security, Bill Shuster and Steve Cohen said the two countries' common efforts in this regard "benefit from the recent selection of Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) as the European route for the Southern Gas Corridor".
According to the letter, the U.S. and Azerbaijan share many values, including a vision for greater diversity and tolerance as well as respect for minorities and gender rights.
"We recognize that these fundamental building blocks for any democratic system have deep roots in the Azerbaijani society," the letter says.
The Azerbaijani President was also congratulated by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov, Israel's Shimon Peres, Iran's Hassan Rouhani, Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, as well as Governor of Russia's Astrakhan oblast Alexander Jilkin. The congratulations were also extended by Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Honorary Chairman of the State Council of Russia's republic of Dagestan, Magomedali Magomedov, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Federal Assembly Sergey Naryshkin, Prime Minister and Minister for Interior of Qatar Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, President of Russia's Tatarstan republic Rustam Minnikhanov, Governor of Volgograd Region Sergey Bozhenov, Head of OSCE Baku Office Koray Targay, President of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Michael Kassen, TURKSOY Secretary General Dusen Kaseinov, Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as a number of U.S. congressmen and senators.
Ilham Aliyev, the incumbent president nominated by the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, won the elections with over 84 percent of the popular vote.
Political stability and high economic growth maintained in Azerbaijan during his presidency in 2003-2013 are regarded as the major reason for his decisive victory.
The country's economy has grown 3.4-fold in the last decade, while the level of poverty reduced approximately 10 times. This is the result of serious economic and social policy carried out in the country during Ilham Aliyev's presidency. This policy helped Azerbaijan considerably strengthen its economic potential in the past 10 years.
According to ratings of the leading international organizations, Azerbaijan has been developing even at a time the rest of the world faced economic and financial crisis. The country's economy was ranked among the top 40 economies of the world in terms of competitiveness.