Azernews.Az

By Arslan Abbasov

The Public Council for Youth under Azerbaijan's Ministry of Youth and Sports held a meeting on May 13, which concluded with the adoption of a statement to support President Ilham Aliyev as a candidate for the presidential election due this fall.

During the meeting, which was attended by the head of the Presidential Administration's social and political affairs department, Ali Hasanov, and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Intigam Babayev, discussions covered the priorities of non-governmental organizations' activity related to youth, as well as issues on the agenda.

Speaking of the government's youth policy at the opening of the event, Ali Hasanov said: "Young people determine the stages of forming and implementing this policy, as well as the plans connected with the future. The country is organizing and implementing relevant proposals."

"If the activity is conducted not blindly, but in a planned manner and on the basis of the received proposals, this kind of policy is always stable, more practical and pragmatic," Hasanov said.

"While listening to young speakers, one can move more confidently into the future and look forward with hope," he said. "If citizens are optimistic, it means there is hope and faith in the future. If human activity is conscious, focused on specific goals, if those who carry out these policies act strongly, one can talk about success."

Hasanov welcomed the fact that young people support President Ilham Aliyev.

"I think that it is your conscious choice to support Ilham Aliyev's candidacy in the presidential elections. You were not forced to do this. Neither the Ministry of Youth and Sports nor the Presidential Administration interfered in this issue. I am sure that you made the right and conscious choice," Hasanov said.

He also touched on the contribution of National Leader, former President Heydar Aliyev in the field of youth.

"After National Leader Heydar Aliyev came to power in 1969, he sent young people to study in well-known universities of the former USSR," he said.

"It was the beginning of developing Azerbaijan's human resources," he said. "In a short time, around 15,000 young Azerbaijanis were educated on 275 specialties in more than 150 educational institutions of the USSR and today they participate in Azerbaijan's state-building. Heydar Aliyev took revolutionary actions in Azerbaijan's human resource development in 1969-1987. The National Leader's efforts were also focused on the education of future generations after 1993," Hasanov noted.

He said further that there are five requirements in Azerbaijan's current socio-political model, which are statehood, rule of law, social justice, civic adherence to principles and solidarity.

"These are the main points upon which we rely today," he said.

"In 1992, each individual, based on his own slogan, used to proclaim the principle of societal governance, and the domestic policy principle. Some used to say that the Turks have no friends except Turks, while others said that Azerbaijan should soon hoist the flag in Iran and that we must unite with South Azerbaijan, to create a great country. There were also those who said that our main national idea is to release China's Uighurs and to establish a powerful country. These principles were destroying our society from within," Hasanov noted.

He added that the idea left by Heydar Aliyev continues to serve the development of Azerbaijan today.

"Azerbaijanism is associated with our country. This idea also allows using the country's opportunities. Azerbaijanism is civil solidarity. It does not deny nationality. Our national leader said that the nationality of each person is the source of that person's pride. Our culture includes the wealth of each individual. If one removes the contribution of the Lezgin, Kurd, Talysh and other Azerbaijani nations' cultures from this culture, what will our culture have? Our culture is a totality of cultures of the people living in Azerbaijan," Hasanov said.

He noted that young people express will power, supporting the candidacy of Ilham Aliyev for another presidential term and his third term in office.

"We appreciate this determination," he said. "I am sure that youth agencies will participate in Ilham Aliyev's further activity in the upcoming elections after Ilham Aliyev is officially nominated. It is planned to allocate more than 100 million (manats) for the State Program on Youth Policy. Overall, the educational, social and other projects are linked to young people."

Hasanov noted that during a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, President Aliyev cited the issue of granting mortgage loans to young people as a serious challenge.

"The youth must be able to more easily and practically use the revenues obtained from Azerbaijani oil," he said. "The mortgage amount should be increased and it is necessary to make it easier to use."

The Presidential Administration official noted that while using a mortgage, a youth representative should resolve the issues related to education, housing, family planning and housing matters.

"If one does not support such a president, who should be supported? Today we can appear among our opponents and citizens with dignity and tell them about our deliberate choice," Hasanov noted.

He added that sometimes foreign organizations slander Azerbaijan and use Azerbaijani youth as a tool.

"They lead our young people off the path...by using grants from various illegal centers, push them to unhealthy, anti-national ways and disgrace our country, our people abroad on the basis of their information, distort the essence of our policy and in the full sense of the word try to create a gap between the state building and governance and the youth," he said.

Hasanov underscored that if conscious young people do not resist this, these foreign organizations will lure normal youth as well.

"Today, Azerbaijan is a self-sufficient country established 20 years ago. But the power of any state is measured by the determination of its citizens," Hasanov said.

Chairman of the Public Council for Youth Nuraddin Mehdiyev in his remarks spoke about the role of youth in the social and political life of the country, as well as the state's care for young people.

"President Ilham Aliyev successfully continues the youth policy, the foundation of which was laid by National Leader Heydar Aliyev," Mehdiyev said. "Azerbaijan is one of the few countries fulfilling the youth policy."

According to Mehdiyev, currently Azerbaijan retains its role and position among the countries of the Central and Eastern Europe.

"Thanks to the efforts of the state, currently hundreds of young Azerbaijanis are studying in foreign countries. The number of young people working in state bodies has also increased significantly," Mehdiyev said.

Deputy chairperson of the Council, Gulsel Safarova, in her speech spoke about international organizations' biased reports regarding Azerbaijan.

"A number of international organizations, like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, prepare reports on Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh, based on distorted facts," Safarova said.

She noted that such reports serve the interests of certain political circles that are concerned about Azerbaijan's development.

The event also stressed the Azerbaijani President's efforts to fight corruption, as well as the opening of the ASAN Service centers.

"Our country's achievements in foreign policy, including the fact that Azerbaijan is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, clearly prove everything. We, young people, fully support the successful foreign and domestic policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev," Safarova said.

Chairman of the Public Association "In the name of Democratic Azerbaijan" Elmeddin Behbud, Chairman of the Azerbaijan-Turkey Youth Friendship Society Reshkhan Garashli and other participants of the event in their speeches spoke of youth's participation in the social and political life of the country, the response of young people to international organizations' reports about Azerbaijan, social activities of young people, as well as social and political developments.

Young people expressed their full support for the policy of President Aliyev and called on all Azerbaijani youths to vote for him at the upcoming presidential elections.

In conclusion of the event a statement was adopted to support President Aliyev as a presidential candidate.