Azerbaijani people celebrate Solidarity Day
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev congratulated World Azerbaijanis on the occasion of 31 December – the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis.
"Our independent state, which develops the ideas of Azerbaijanism of national leader Heydar Aliyev, attaches particular importance to strengthening national accord and takes consistent measures to further strengthen the cultural and spiritual unity of Azerbaijanis of the world. We always support rational initiatives aimed at deepening the relations of our compatriots living in foreign countries with native Azerbaijan and ensuring their direct participation in national matters," he said in a congratulatory message.
Year 2018 will be remembered for the broad celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, which has a glorious place in the history of our people, President Aliyev noted.
"The official celebration of such a significant anniversary strengthens in the hearts of our compatriots the sense of freedom, independence and justifiable pride for the rich history of our country. We can say with confidence today that the dreams of the founding fathers of the Republic, who were forced to live in emigration 100 years ago, and their followers to see Azerbaijan as an independent and powerful state have already become a wonderful reality," he said.
Despite the complex geopolitical developments unfolding in the world, wars and armed confrontations, problems of refugees and internally displaced persons, global economic difficulties, the Republic of Azerbaijan is confidently pacing towards its big goals, Ilham Aliyev said.
"This once again confirms the high assessment by influential international organizations of the successes our country has achieved in the socioeconomic sphere. In the World Bank's Doing Business 2019 report, Azerbaijan has climbed 32 steps compared to last year to 25th place among 190 countries and has been included in the list of 10 most reformist countries around the world. On the initiative and with direct participation of our country, large-scale transnational projects have been successfully implemented. The Southern Gas Corridor, which plays an important part in expanding the energy map of Eurasia, and its component, the TANAP pipeline, commissioned in 2018, as well as the completion of all the work on the North-South international transport corridor project on the territory of Azerbaijan after the opening of the Alat-Astara highway, are of particular importance in terms of the growth of the economic potential of our state, its transformation into a transit and logistical center of the region and strengthening of its geoeconomic positions. The launch of another telecommunications satellite “Azerspace-2” into orbit this year also serves as a clear manifestation of the success our country has achieved in the field of modern communication and information technologies," the President noted.
Ilham Aliyev went on to say that as our country develops, the opportunities for addressing tasks of a more global nature are growing.
"We are faced with such a fateful task as the liberation of our lands occupied as a result of Armenian military aggression. Azerbaijan pursues a consistent and purposeful policy towards restoring its violated territorial integrity. Our compatriots, in turn, should also be active in drawing the attention of the high circles of their countries and influential international organizations to the just settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and communicate historical realities to the broad public. To develop Azerbaijan and strengthen its positions in the world community, all our compatriots need to rally closely around national goals, and diaspora organizations should coordinate their activities more flexibly. I am convinced that all our compatriots and countrymen, regardless of where in the world they may live, will rely on these principles and apply all their efforts and skills to address the tasks before them in the coming years," he added.
At last, President Aliyev once again congratulated all Azerbaijanis and wished happiness, well-being and success in their activities.
December 31 is the day of the universal unity of the Azerbaijani nation. This holiday plays an important role in establishing contacts with Azerbaijanis living in different countries, building solidarity among them. Celebrating Solidarity Day of World Azerbaijanis has become a spiritual necessity for the entire world Azerbaijanis.
Azerbaijanis have been living in the territory of Azerbaijan, their native land for thousands of years, making a great contribution to world civilization.
As a result of wars, revolutions, military conflicts, and various social and political processes in the world, Azerbaijan was fragmented, and some of the Azerbaijanis were separated. There are also Azerbaijanis living in other countries, leaving their homeland for employment and studying.
Thus, the Azerbaijanis spread from the historical Azerbaijani lands to the whole world.
At present, they live in many countries around the world. Large Azerbaijani communities have been established in Russia, Ukraine, other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Baltic states, Europe, America, and Eastern countries.
Today more than 50 million Azerbaijanis live in the world.
World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day was laid at the end of December 1989 when opening borders (USSR-Iran borders) in Nakhchivan. Border poles between North and South Azerbaijan have been destroyed. Meanwhile, the Turkish-speaking Peoples Conference was held in Istanbul. The conference has decided to celebrate the solidarity of Azerbaijanis in the world.
The Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Heydar Aliyev, declared December 31 as the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day on December 16, 1991, taking into account the importance of creating a unity of world Azerbaijanis.
Now, World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day is celebrated by Azerbaijanis in more than 70 countries around the world.
As time passes, the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis is gaining more and more importance, because every year each of us feels stronger the need for unity among our compatriots, regardless of whether they live in their historical homeland or in a foreign land.
Along with the active participation in economic, public and political life of countries in which they live, the Diaspora have received the broad options to represent the culture, wealth, language, history and traditions of Azerbaijani nation. It is the firm belief of every Azerbaijani that by doing his or her utmost and sparing no effort through consolidation of activities they will develop and prosper in the future to come.