Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

A solemn inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, who will lead the country for the next five years, was held at the Milli Majlis (parliament) on October 19.

Ilham Aliyev, 51, whose victory in the October 9 presidential elections was approved by the country's Constitutional Court, put his hand on the Constitution and the Holy Quran and swore to abide by the Constitution while executing the powers of the President, to protect the state independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, to serve the people faithfully and to value national and moral values and traditions embraced by the Azerbaijani people for centuries.

The ceremony, which was followed by President Aliyev's standing on one knee and kissing Azerbaijan's national three-colored flag, was attended by Azerbaijani government officials, parliamentarians and members of the President's family.

President Aliyev made an inaugural speech at the ceremony. First of all, he thanked the Azerbaijani people for their great confidence in him.

The president said the Azerbaijani people have given the highest assessment to the work done in the last 10 years.

Speaking about the policy pursued in the country during his presidency, President Aliyev said the protection of stability has always been on the agenda in the last 10 years.

"We have managed to protect Azerbaijan from all the risks and threats. We all remember too well the developments unfolding in the region and the world in the last 10 years. Bloody clashes, wars, revolutions, political, economic and financial crises - all of these have been taking place in our immediate surroundings. We have managed to protect the people of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani state from these woes by our policies and our determination. Therefore, the people of Azerbaijan have been living in the conditions of peace, calm and security in the last 10 years," he said.

According to the president, the reforms carried out and the initiatives put forward in all directions over the past 10 years have further strengthened the country and the results of the election and the fact the election was conducted at a high level are a triumph of democracy.

"All freedoms are provided for in Azerbaijan. There are political freedoms, the freedom of speech, the freedom of the media, the freedom of assembly, the freedom of conscience. All the democratic processes went in a positive direction in Azerbaijan. Along with the economic success, political reforms carried out in the last 10 years have also facilitated the successful development of our country," he said.

Touching on numerous international events held in Azerbaijan in recent years, the president said all these events showed the world that Azerbaijan is a space of tolerance, a center of tolerance and multiculturalism.

"This is our way of life, while at the same time, it is our policy. Azerbaijan's experience in this field is already being studied. Today, Azerbaijan is one of the countries that stand out in the world by their policies. In other words, all the steps related to democracy, human rights and the rule of law have further strengthened our country and contributed to its dynamic development," he said.

President Aliyev also spoke about Azerbaijan's international relations in the past decade.

"Over the past 10 years, Azerbaijan has opened embassies in 39 countries, and now the number of our embassies has reached 57," he said. "In 10 years, 28 countries have opened their embassies in Azerbaijan, thus bringing the number of foreign embassies in Azerbaijan to 53. In the relations with international organizations, Azerbaijan constantly upholds and maintains its position of principle. In 10 years, we have become a member of several influential international organizations and defended our interests in them. At the same time, our foreign policies pursued in a bilateral format have also been successful. The number of our friends is growing. There is a growing number of those who want to cooperate with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is noted for its principled stance in the world. Azerbaijan is known as a reliable partner. Our word and our signature are equally powerful. Given the fact that we are always faced with a campaign on the part of world Armenians and the forces that can't come to terms with the successes of Azerbaijan and are unable to digest them, it was not easy at all to win this trust."

The president said Azerbaijan's election to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member is the country's great political and diplomatic victory, a great success of the independent Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan currently chairs the UN Security Council, and over the past two years we have managed to gain even more credibility in this organization due to our principled stance, fair steps and respect for international law," he said.

Regarding the unresolved Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President Aliyev said this problem is the priority of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.

"Unfortunately, this conflict has not been resolved over these years. The main reasons for that are the hypocritical policy and the unconstructive position of Armenia and, unfortunately, the indifference on the part of the international community and the parties directly dealing with the matter. For over 20 years the norms of international law have been flagrantly violated. Four UN Security Council resolutions are not fulfilled and no pressure is put on the occupying country. Under such circumstances, of course, our unilateral diplomatic efforts could not bring success," he said.

The president expressed confidence that Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity.

He also spoke about Azerbaijan's military power, saying the country's military budget has increased more than 20-fold.

"Today, the Azerbaijani army is one of the strongest armies in the world. The weaponry, ammunition and military equipment acquired over the past 10 years have dramatically changed the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are by far ahead. At the same time, over the last 10 years we have established a military and industrial complex which did not exist in the past. Today, there are dozens of plants producing military goods of 750 denominations in Azerbaijan. Thus, we are creating new production sites and at the same time reducing our dependence on foreign arms markets. I believe that we will take further steps in the coming years to build up our capacity and further strengthen our army," he said.

With regard to economic successes achieved in the country in the past 10 years, President Aliyev said that in these years, 1.2 million jobs were created in Azerbaijan, of which 900,000 are permanent ones.

"Unemployment is at about 5 percent. But we have to make sure that unemployment is completely eliminated in the coming years. We have implemented two regional five-year programs. The regions have been landscaped and revitalized. A whole new infrastructure has been put in place in the regions. As a result of the implementation of regional programs, the gap between the regions and the capital has reduced," he said.

The president also spoke about the investment made in Azerbaijan's economy over the past 10 years.

"Over the past 10 years investment in the amount of $150 billion has been made in the country's economy. Almost half of it is made up of foreign investment. On the one hand, this shows that Azerbaijan is an attractive country for foreign investors. At the same time, domestic investment is also rising. Of course, the structure of local investments is dominated by domestic investment. The local private sector is also actively involved in this work. There is a favorable investment climate in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is posting a very successful economic development," Aliyev said.

According to him, over the 10 years poverty has dropped almost ten-fold - from 49 to 5.5 percent.

Speaking about Azerbaijan's foreign exchange reserves, the president said these reserves are currently close to $50 billion. The president underlined that Azerbaijan's economic policy builds on a solid foundation and thus, the country is not dependent on foreign debt.

"All leading international organizations view Azerbaijan as a model country in terms of economic development and honor us with high spots in their rankings," he said. "The leading economic entity of the world, the Davos Economic Forum, ranks Azerbaijan 39th in terms of competitiveness. This is a result of serious reforms carried out in the economic sphere in Azerbaijan."

The president also spoke about Azerbaijan's wise energy policy carried out in the past 10 years.

"Today Azerbaijan is known in the global energy market as a very reliable and serious partner. Our decisions, the decisions made in Baku play a crucial role in energy security issues. We know that. We have created this reality by our course, bold moves and an independent policy. The construction of two pipelines - oil and gas - has practically created a new energy map of the region. Today, issues of drawing and modifying the energy map are also solved in Azerbaijan," the president said.

According to him, Azerbaijan, with 3 trillion cubic meters of proven gas reserves, will play a role as a serious player in this area and provide for the country's political and economic interests for at least 100 years to come.

"Last year and this year, there have been two important developments for the implementation of our oil and gas strategy. The TANAP project was started last year and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline project this year. These are world-scale projects of strategic importance. These projects have been initiated by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has the final say in the implementation of these projects," he said.

Then President Aliyev spoke about his policy priorities.

"Our foreign policy will be continued. Azerbaijan will continue to demonstrate a principled stance. We will defend our position in international organizations we are members of. We will continue building relations with organizations we work with only on the basis of equality, non-interference in each other's affairs and mutual respect. We will try to ensure that the number of our friends in the world keeps growing," the president said.

According to him, the policy of diversification is and will be conducted in the economic sector.

"We must strive to ensure that our non-oil economy doubles over the next 10 years," he said. "Programs will be implemented to reduce poverty, improve the livelihood of those living in poverty and other social initiatives. The creation of the social infrastructure should be continued. There is still a great need for that."

President Aliyev said all the goods that can be produced in Azerbaijan must be produced domestically and food security must be provided in full.

"Over the next five years we have to make sure that basic food commodities are made in Azerbaijan by 100 percent," he said. "The measures related to agriculture will continue to be taken in the future. Large irrigation projects are being implemented. Thus, the farmers will have the best conditions."

According to the president, policy in the field of information and communication technologies will continue and Azerbaijan will wage an even tougher fight against corruption and bribery.

President Aliyev also said Azerbaijan has great plans related to the energy policy for the coming years.

"The oil strategy of Heydar Aliyev has been implemented for the last 19 years -- since the signing of the 'Contract of the Century'. Over the past 10 years it has been more evident in the gas factor. Over the next five years we need to implement strategic projects. These are world-class projects," he said.

After the inauguration ceremony, the president, accompanied by his family members, visited the Alley of Honors, the Alley of Martyrs and the National Flag Square.