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First VP Mehriban Aliyeva: Being a parliament member was great honor for me [UPDATE / PHOTO]

7 March 2017 16:26 (UTC+04:00)
First VP Mehriban Aliyeva: Being a parliament member was great honor for me [UPDATE / PHOTO]

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan’s First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva has stopped her activity as a member of parliament in connection with the appointment to a new post.

President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on February 21, 2017 to appoint Mehriban Aliyeva the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan.

Addressing a plenary session of the parliament on March 7 in connection with the termination of her parliamentary powers she briefed the parliament about the work she has being a member of parliament.

“I was a member of the parliament for more than ten years. It was great honor for me to be a member of parliament during these years,” said Mrs. Aliyeva. “Members of the Parliament have a great role in formation of Azerbaijan as an authoritative state during the years of independence, she added.

She went on to say that the legal basis of reforms ongoing in Azerbaijan is comprised of the bills, which have been prepared through joint work of parliamentarians and in line with modern realities and challenges.

“Dear colleagues, during the period of my work as a parliamentarian, I have witnessed a pleasant atmosphere here. Of course, there is a great merit of Chairman of the Parliament Ogtay Asadov in the creation of such an atmosphere,” she said.

The First Vice-President briefed the Parliament about the work that has been carried out since 2005 in the Khazar District, from where Mehriban Aliyeva’s candidacy as MP was put forward. She noted that during this period, 42 schools, 44 kindergartens, 16 orphanages and boarding schools, as well as summer camps for three orphanages have been either built or renovated in the district.

Seventeen health centers, 10 sports facilities, including six stadiums, 28 culture centers, including libraries, museums, seven mosques and shrines have been opened there, added the First Vice-President.

“Over these years, along with large-scale and long-term projects, I have accentuated on investigating into problems people face in daily lives. I have tried to support the people who addressed to me,” she said. “During all stages of my activity, I have felt the support of the district’s population. Our communication was not formal; it was always very sincere.”

The First Vice-President stressed she had put forward a number of proposals while serving as an MP.

“The initiatives I made in 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2016 to adopt amnesty acts, based on ideas of humanism and justice, always saw the support of my colleagues. As a result, 39,887 convicts have been exempt from punishment in line with the announced amnesties,” she added.

Mrs. Aliyeva thanked the MPs who supported the amnesty initiatives giving freedom to ten thousands of people.

“I hope our parliamentarians will further put forward such initiatives and this good tradition will continue,” she noted.

The First Vice-President in her address also touched upon some topical problems related with healthcare.

“As you know, healthcare is one of the priority areas in activity of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which I lead. The Foundation’s ‘Life without Thalassemia’ program, implemented since 2005, has gained large scale in a short period of time. Upon our initiative the issue was put for discussion at the parliament, and in a short period of time the Parliament passed the ‘Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on State Care for the People Suffering from Heritable Blood Diseases – Hemophilia and Thalassemia’,” she said.

Mrs. Aliyeva reminded that the Thalassemia Center, built on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Baku, is the only medical facility the region equipped with the most modern equipment making it possible to transfer bone marrow.

“Since the day the Center began to operate, more than 40 children have undergone bone marrow transplantation surgeries there,” she said.

Mrs. Aliyeva added that as a physician she is concerned over the spread of heritable blood diseases in Azerbaijan.

“With an aim of forming healthy families in Azerbaijan and decreasing the risks in this area, I made an initiative in 2014 calling for compulsory medical check-up of the persons intending to get married. After a thorough discussion with my colleagues, a law was passed to make respective changes to the Family Code,” she said.

During her address, Mrs. Aliyeva underlined that numerous events have been held at her initiative to make Azerbaijan known throughout the world as a multi-national, tolerant and multi-confessional country.

The First Vice-President noted that in all of her speeches she informs about the occupation of 20 percent of lands of Azerbaijan – its integral part Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts – and the life of more than one million Azerbaijanis as refugees and IDPs.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s publications about the Khojaly tragedy have been disseminated throughout the world, she said.

“Dear colleagues, I appreciate my 12-year activity in the Parliament as a big school of life,” said Mrs. Aliyeva. “The experience I have gained as an MP is irreplaceable. Regardless of my position or directions of my activity, I have always relied on simple principles in life. I have tried to never forget that conscience and dignity, compassion and goodwill, justice and mutual respect are the paramount and the most beautiful features given to a human by God.”

Mrs. Aliyeva expressed her confidence that a strong and reliable team, consisting of people of the same opinion and intention, stands behind every victory, every major achievement.

She noted that after being appointed as the First Vice-President, she is well aware of the entrusted responsibility, and of course, she feels excited.

“However, I am optimistic about the future, because I have colleagues like you. There are thousands of our compatriots supporting me; our country has a skillful, courageous, intelligent president in the face of Ilham Aliyev, who at the same time has the highest human qualities,” said Mrs. Aliyeva.

“I am confident that we will further do our best together, as a team, for the future of Azerbaijan, for the future development of Azerbaijan, and for strengthening of our independence,” added the First Vice-President.

Afterwards, members of the Azerbaijani parliament delivered speeches and the first vice-president thanked them for warm remarks and high appreciation.

Speaking at the session, Asadov said that Mehriban Aliyeva carries out a multifaceted activity and one of them is her activity as an MP of the Parliament.

“Mehriban Aliyeva always attached importance to the development of the parliamentary culture, took part in the development of the legislative framework, and acted with a number of legislative initiatives,” he said.

Asadov recalled that Mehriban Aliyeva is the initiator of four amnesty acts thanks to which tens of thousands of people are at large now.

"Mehriban Aliyeva makes an important contribution to the development of the international relations of the Parliament, represents the Azerbaijani people in the international arena, and informs the world community about the truth of Azerbaijani people. Along with this activity, everyone is aware of the public and charity work of Mehriban Aliyeva,” he said, wishing her successes in her new and honorable activity.

Deputy Chairman of the parliament Bahar Muradova, in turn, underscored that Mehriban Aliyeva, armed with ideas of national leader Heydar Aliyev, relying on national-spiritual values and her professionalism, diligence and principality, did a great job to bring together the East and the West - the two world standing face to face, civilizations and cultures and her efforts in this regard are a big and useful activity for improvement of order and harmony in the world.

The agenda of the plenary session included 13 issues, however, only five of them were approved including election of a member of the Parliament’s Committee, election of the members of the Board of the National Bank (three issues), and the annual report of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman.

The remaining eight issues were postponed for discussion on March 10.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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First VP Mehriban Aliyeva: Being a parliament member was great honor for me [UPDATE / PHOTO] - Gallery Image
First VP Mehriban Aliyeva: Being a parliament member was great honor for me [UPDATE / PHOTO] - Gallery Image
First VP Mehriban Aliyeva: Being a parliament member was great honor for me [UPDATE / PHOTO] - Gallery Image
First VP Mehriban Aliyeva: Being a parliament member was great honor for me [UPDATE / PHOTO] - Gallery Image
First VP Mehriban Aliyeva: Being a parliament member was great honor for me [UPDATE / PHOTO] - Gallery Image
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