An official dinner reception has been hosted in honor of President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov who is paying an official visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov addressed the reception.
Saluting the ceremony participants, President Ilham Aliyev said:
- Dear Islam Abduganiyevich!
Distinguished guests!
Dear friends!
Islam Abduganiyevich, I would like to sincerely welcome you to Azerbaijan again and thank you for accepting my invitation to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan. We attach great importance to this visit. I am sure it will further strengthen the friendly and fraternal relations between our countries. Our nations are united by a common history, centuries-old friendship, mutual support and sympathy. On this solid foundation we have built a house of friendship and cooperation.
The deep roots of our relationship are a breeding ground for the current stage in the relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. Our countries have emerged as independent states, developed successfully and played a leading role in our regions. And today, analyzing all the processes associated with the period of independence, we see that the basis of the current neighborly and friendly relations between our countries was laid by you, Islam Abduganiyevich, and nationwide leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. It is your wisdom, friendship, foresight and political skill that have created the current relations between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. We are faithful to this tradition and I, for my part, try to do my best to further develop and strengthen our ties and expand the area of our interaction.
And the talks held today and the exchange of views on topical issues of bilateral relations and global politics have confirmed again the strategic nature of our relations.
Stressing that bilateral relations between the two countries were developing successfully, President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan support each other in international organizations. The President of Azerbaijan noted the good potential for cooperation between the two countries in the field of economy, transport infrastructure, etc., which also serves to expand the relations between Europe and Asia.
Touching upon Uzbekistan’s fair position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President Ilham Aliyev said:
- We are very grateful to you personally and the people of Uzbekistan for the principled position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The people of Azerbaijan are aware of and appreciate that. And the fact that you support the resolution of the conflict based on the principles of territorial integrity is very positively perceived in Azerbaijan. This attitude is fair, it is based on international legal standards, it is a brotherly attitude. I am sure that broad international support for the settlement of the conflict on the principle of territorial integrity is a prerequisite for peace and de-occupation of Azerbaijani territory.
President Ilham Aliyev said that under the leadership of Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan had covered a road of comprehensive development and made great strides in the fields of politics, economy, industry, export capacity, etc. Highlighting the importance of the relations based on the national and spiritual values of the two nations in the strengthening of relations between the two countries, the President of Azerbaijan said:
- We are also very impressed that the current development of Uzbekistan is based on a commitment to national and spiritual values. We talked about this very clearly today. I remember discussing this topic in our previous meetings, touching upon the role and place of our peoples on the world map. We discussed these issues in the spirit of mutual understanding, stressed the importance of maintaining and strengthening our national traditions, passing them on to the younger generation, so that the young generation of Uzbeks and Azerbaijanis is brought up in the spirit of national traditions and moral values of our people.
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President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov, who spoke afterwards, said:
- Dear Ilham Heydar oglu!
Dear Azerbaijani friends!
On behalf of all the members of our delegation, on behalf of everyone who is present here, I want to sincerely thank you again for such kind words, for your assessment, first of all, of our cooperation, of the friendship that has developed over years, for more than a century.
Recalling with satisfaction his visit to our country in 2008, President Islam Karimov said that during the current visit he had witnessed further development of the country. Stressing that the capital of Azerbaijan was undergoing rapid development, extensive construction, reconstruction and landscaping, that Baku was becoming increasingly beautiful, the President of Uzbekistan said:
- I want to sincerely congratulate you as the leader of Azerbaijan, congratulate the leadership of your country, all of you, my dear friends, if you accept such an address because I can’t address you otherwise, on the fact that the process of construction launched in the days of Heydar Aliyev not only continues, it has acquired a new dynamic.
Stressing that the Azerbaijanis living in Uzbekistan have also contributed to the strengthening of the country’s independence, President Islam Karimov said:
- I want to recall the 1930s when, during mass repression, terror and injustice, tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis found refuge in Uzbekistan. The friendly and hospitable people of Uzbekistan embraced the deportees like their own family, warmed and shared a piece of bread with them. Today, their children and grandchildren, about 40,000 Azerbaijanis who live in peace and harmony alongside many other peoples and ethnicities in our country, make a contribution to the development of an independent and sovereign Uzbekistan. The fact that 27 Azerbaijanis living in our country, including prominent scholars, teachers, construction workers, servicemen, popular figures of arts and culture, have received the highest state awards and titles in recent years is graphic evidence of their role and place in our society.
Highlighting the exceptional contribution of great leader Heydar Aliyev to the modern history of Azerbaijan, the President of Uzbekistan said:
- Today, while in the beautiful and unique city of Baku which takes on a new look every year, I want to express my deep respect for the memory of Heydar Aliyev, an outstanding son of the Azerbaijani people, for his human qualities, wisdom, vision and strong political will. He was a man who had passed a great school of life.
President Islam Karimov said that the two countries have a great potential for expanding the trade and economic relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. The President of Uzbekistan said there were good prospects for the development of bilateral relations between the two countries and expressed his confidence that our relations would continue to strengthen.
