Azernews.Az

BAKU – President Ilham Aliyev called for unity of Azerbaijanis abroad on Tuesday as 600 Azerbaijanis from 42 countries gathered in Baku for a сongress of world Azerbaijanis.

President Aliyev said in his opening remarks that the government has been working hard to strengthen the Azerbaijani diaspora since the first such event was held in 2001.

Aliyev said that the number of Azerbaijani diaspora organizations has increased to 416, up from 336 five years ago, adding that these organizations have improved "in terms of quality" as well.

The president said Azerbaijani communities and diplomatic missions abroad should make a concerted effort.

"Sometimes differences emerge," he said. "This has to stop. We need to ensure the unity of diaspora organizations. There should be stronger cooperation between Azerbaijani embassies and diaspora organizations. Sometimes I am concerned over these relations. Our diaspora organizations and embassies should be as a clenched fist, should work as a team."

Aliyev said Azerbaijan will open embassies and consulates in eight countries this year. When the second congress of world Azerbaijanis was held in 2006, the country had 46 diplomatic missions abroad, but their number has since reached 65.

The president noted that work has begun to open houses of culture and trade in other countries.

He also addressed Azerbaijani businessmen working abroad who were participating at the Baku congress.

"Help the Azerbaijanis around you, hire mostly Azerbaijanis to your companies. More Azerbaijanis should be provided with jobs as part of Azerbaijani state-run companies’ projects being implemented abroad, and companies owned by Azerbaijanis should be drawn to these projects as contractors and in other ways."

Terse message
President Aliyev issued strongly worded messages to Armenia in his speech at the congress when he spoke about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, saying Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity using all means, including its powerful military.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan will succeed in resolving the two decade-long conflict as a result of strengthening its armed forces.

"Yerevan has to understand that Azerbaijan’s potential is incomparable with that of Armenia. Azerbaijan’s economic potential is ten times more than Armenia’s. Our military spending alone is 50 percent more than Armenia’s budget."

Aliyev said international law is on Azerbaijan’s side in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

He stressed that a solution of the conflict meets the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"The mediating countries are also stating that the ‘status quo’ is unacceptable," he said, adding that Baku would continue holding peace talks.

Aliyev said the Armenian lobby is waging an "information war" against Azerbaijan and a tough response to this sinister campaign could be delivered only by diaspora organizations. He pointed to the Armenian community’s leverage of influence upon the political circles in numerous countries, calling on the Azerbaijani community to step up activity to block these efforts.

Aliyev said Azerbaijani diplomacy "must be an attack diplomacy".

"Our diplomacy should not be of self-defense nature. The attack diplomacy is yielding fruit. Considering that we are the ones who are right in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, certainly, our arguments are more serious, more substantial."

The president said the Azerbaijani diaspora should influence domestic policies of other countries and be represented in foreign government agencies and parliaments.

Aliyev concluded his address with a patriotic message saying "Azerbaijanis of the world have one homeland, and it is Azerbaijan!"

"The Azerbaijani state stands behind the Azerbaijanis living around the world," he added.

Participants adopted a resolution of the congress, appeals to President Aliyev and Azerbaijanis of the world. They also urged world leaders, international organizations and a number of countries’ parliaments to facilitate a settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Over 1,800 people were in attendance at the third congress of world Azerbaijanis.