President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received the director-general of The Business Year magazine Ayse Nazir Valentin, editor-in-chief Jason John and duty editors of The Business Year magazine.
The general-director specializing in the promotion of investment of The Business Year magazine, Ayse Nazir Valentin, noted with satisfaction that The Business Year carried out its first Azerbaijan-related project in 2010. She said that the magazine’s 2011 issue marked the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan`s independence and the 2012 issue highlighted the Eurovision song contest in Baku. Ayse Nazir Valentin said that this year the magazine prepared a special edition on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev.
President Ilham Aliyev praised what The Business Year had been doing to promote Azerbaijan, describing this as a good opportunity for introducing the country to the international English-speaking community. The President hailed the fact that the magazine highlighted Azerbaijan`s achievements in politics, economy, security, business, investment and foreign relations and emphasized the importance of The Business Year: Azerbaijan 2013.
Noting that The Business Year declared President Ilham Aliyev “Person of the Year”, Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Jason John Nash presented the award to the head of state. He said President Ilham Aliyev was honored for his role in ensuring Azerbaijan’s rapid development in the last five years, turning the country into an important actor on the global geopolitical scene, its election to the Security Council and major achievements in the sphere of information and communication technologies.
The President expressed his appreciation for the "Person of the Year" award. The head of state noted that the country’s success was underpinned by the rapid economic development. President Ilham Aliyev said that economic diversification has resulted in a reduction of the dependence on oil and gas, while the transparent use of oil revenues for the benefit of the people and country have caused the poverty rate to drop from 50 to 6 per cent over the last 10 years. Touching upon the rapid development in the sector of information and communication technologies, the President noted the importance of Azerbaijan's accession to the family of space-faring nations. Saying that 2013 has been declared the Year of Information and Communication Technologies in Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev spoke about the country’s achievements in this field. The head of state also pointed to the continued strengthening of the country's authority in the international arena.
President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude to the team of The Business Year magazine for showing Azerbaijan’s fields of energy, trade, business, investment, culture and other areas for what they are.
In conclusion, a photo was taken as a souvenir.
