Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the reception for participants of international conferences held in Baku

AZERBAIJAN, September 15 - - Honorable Sheikh,

Distinguished guests,

I warmly greet you all. I say to our guests: “Welcome to Azerbaijan!”

These days, Baku is hosting the 7th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Muslim Religious Boards of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). This in itself is a major international event. At the same time, an international conference dedicated to the great poet and thinker Sayyid Yahya Bakuvi is also taking place in Baku, with many of our guests participating in it.

The simultaneous holding of these two events in Baku is of great significance. We are always proud of our brilliant historical figures, thinkers, and poets. Sayyid Yahya Bakuvi is one of them. Having lived and produced his works in the 15th century, Yahya Bakuvi left a profound intellectual and cultural legacy.

The Azerbaijani people have given the world many brilliant personalities, poets, and thinkers who have made significant contributions to world culture. Simply listing their names is enough to demonstrate how rich our people and our land are in talent—Nizami Ganjavi and Khagani Shirvani in the 12th century, Imadaddin Nasimi in the 14th century, Yahya Bakuvi in the 15th century, and Shah Ismail Khatai and Muhammad Fuzuli in the 16th century. In other words, each of them represents a vast universe in their own right. The heritage they left behind—their historical and cultural legacy—is of immense value today—not only to us and their successors, but to the entire Azerbaijani people and, I would say, to the entire Islamic world.

I know that religious leaders from many countries are participating in these events. I would like to extend a particular welcome to them. In addition to the religious leaders of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States, religious leaders from Georgia and Syria, as well as representatives of the North Caucasus republics—in particular, religious leaders from Dagestan and Chechnya—are also taking part today. In other words, this is a manifestation of unity. Naturally, Azerbaijan plays a special role in this regard. Azerbaijan is both part of the Turkic world and a Caucasian country. A look at the history of our country makes this abundantly clear. Ancient Caucasian Albania existed precisely in the territories of present-day Azerbaijan, and the capital of that ancient state was the city of Gabala, which remains one of the most beautiful places in our country today.

The capital of the ancient Atabegs state was another one of our beautiful cities, Nakhchivan. This once again shows that the Turkic world and the Caucasus—these two spheres—were in fact part of a unified geography, and Azerbaijan is the only Caucasian country that is a member of the Organization of Turkic States.

Naturally, we have close ties with the Turkic world, and we have close familial and friendly relations with the peoples of the Caucasus. Your gathering here together carries great symbolic significance. It is precisely such joint events that bring us even closer together, strengthen the ties of friendship and brotherhood among us, and convey very positive messages to the world.

Every word uttered by Muslim religious leaders is, of course, of great value and significance to Muslim communities. When their words are directed toward peace, cooperation, tranquility, and reconciliation, this means that peace and tranquility can also prevail in the regions where we live.

Of course, certain events taking place in the world today, particularly in the Muslim world, are concerning to us all. In Azerbaijan, we have always strived—and will continue to strive—to strengthen Islamic solidarity through practical steps and our efforts. Numerous events have been held in Azerbaijan under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and ICESCO. Nearly a decade ago, in 2017, the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games were held in Baku on our initiative and with the support of all Muslim countries. We viewed these Games not merely as a sporting competition, but as a grand celebration of unity and solidarity.

Next year, the Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will be held in Baku. Against the backdrop of developments around the world, I believe it is no coincidence that such an event is taking place specifically in Azerbaijan. True, this decision was taken some time ago, but it is, in fact, a very appropriate decision. I want to emphasize once again that Azerbaijan acts as a unifying, reconciling, and cooperation-oriented force in all organizations of which it is a member. I am confident that the Summit to be held in Azerbaijan next year will produce excellent results. Our hope is that by the time of the Summit, the ongoing processes, misunderstandings, and, in some cases, conflicts between certain Muslim countries will have been brought to an end. For our part, we will do everything in our power to unite the Muslim world as a single family, put an end to all unnecessary disputes, and bring confrontations to an end. Furthermore, those elements seeking to divide us—and, in doing so, aiming to strike a blow against the religion of Islam—will be put in their place. Naturally, we can achieve this only through joint efforts.

Therefore, I believe that your presence in Baku and your joint participation in these events will once again send very clear and powerful messages both to our region and to the world.

I know that during your visit you will also travel to Garabagh. According to the information provided to me, you will visit the cities of Aghdam, Khankendi, Khojaly, and Shusha. I am confident that this visit will be very interesting for you. You will witness both the consequences and destruction resulting from the 30-year occupation, while at the same time seeing the new face of a Garabagh that is being revived. These lands were under Armenian occupation for 30 years. War crimes were committed against our people. A bloody genocide was committed in the city of Khojaly. The Khojaly Memorial Complex has already been established in Khojaly, and, if you have time, you can visit it.

All our cities and villages located in Garabagh and East Zangezur were razed to the ground. Ethnic cleansing was carried out against our people. Nearly one million Azerbaijanis were displaced from their native lands as a result of the ethnic cleansing policy of the Armenian state. As you know, negotiations that lasted for 30 years produced no results because Armenia did not want to leave our lands voluntarily. Meanwhile, major states supporting Armenia sought not to resolve the issue, but rather to prolong it and make the occupation permanent. By providing military, economic, and political support to Armenia, these states were effectively rewarding the aggressor.

The Azerbaijani people put an end to this injustice and established a precedent at the global level. Because until then, occupied lands, unfortunately, were not being liberated. At any rate, such instances had not been seen in the 20th and 21st centuries, or were encountered only on very rare occasions.

The Azerbaijani people liberated these lands by shedding blood and fighting for them. May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs in peace. At the cost of their lives and blood, and through the selflessness of our heroic sons, we restored our justice, our rights, and our national dignity. We expelled the occupiers from our lands, raised the Azerbaijani Flag in every corner of Garabagh and East Zangezur, and put an end to separatism. The separatist leaders, war criminals, and those responsible for killing children are today serving their sentences in Azerbaijani prisons. This, too, is the triumph of justice. In other words, justice has fully prevailed, and the Azerbaijani people, united as one, have restored their territorial integrity and sovereignty, upheld international law, and achieved justice.

When we returned to these lands after 30 years, what did we see? Today, the entire world sees it—destroyed cities and villages, demolished homes, plundered national wealth, and destroyed mosques. Sixty-five mosques were completely destroyed by the Armenian state—I want to particularly emphasize this: this was the policy of the Armenian state. Some were left partially destroyed. You have likely seen those photographs as well: Armenia intentionally and deliberately kept animals—pigs and cattle—inside the mosques. In other words, seeking to insult and humiliate us and, knowing how deeply we value our religious sensitivities; to deliberately inflict further pain on our people, they did not refrain from such barbaric acts. In reality, this was an insult not only to us and our people, but to the entire Islamic world. Look, this is the true face of the Armenian state. We must never forget this, and we will not forget it.

Yes, today there is peace, and the war has ceased. The peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan is underway, and I am confident that it will be lasting. At any rate, such is the position of the Azerbaijani state. However, we will never forget the atrocities committed against us and against our people. We will never forget the victims of Khojaly, our destroyed mosques, or our desecrated cultural sites, and this memory will make us even more vigilant. This memory will not allow us to be deceived by sweet words again; it will not allow any insidious plans against our people to succeed again. We must be vigilant, we are vigilant, and at the same time, we are strengthening our military might. It was precisely through military power and the heroism of our sons that we expelled the Armenian occupying forces from our lands.

Therefore, patriotic and military education has gained immense momentum in Azerbaijan today. Everyone sees that the world today has changed completely and that the factor of force has come to the fore. We were not the ones to put forward the principle of “might makes right.” However, we must take existing realities into account, and naturally, we do. We know that there is one guarantee for our sovereignty, our territorial integrity, and the future of our people as a free and independent nation—and that is our will, determination, military strength, unity as a people, faith, and national values.

Naturally, your trip to Garabagh—I repeat once more—will be very interesting. You will also witness a Garabagh that is being revived. Today, people are already residing in 48 cities and villages across Garabagh and East Zangezur. In other words, former internally displaced persons have returned, while those working and studying there have also settled there. The “Great Return” Program is being implemented successfully. Look, more than 90,000 people are already living in the cities and villages I mentioned. Life has returned, and this is our great achievement, our historical accomplishment. For 30 years, our people lived in suffering and hardship. Today, however, we live as a victorious people, as a triumphant nation.

I must also state that despite all these sufferings, hardships, and genocides, we did not take any retaliatory action against Armenia or the Armenian people. During the Second Garabagh War, we targeted only military formations. Unlike Armenia, we have never waged war against unarmed civilians. This is contrary to both the mentality and the traditions of our people. I said during the war that we must take our revenge on the battlefield, and we did so to the fullest extent. The blood of our martyrs was not spilled in vain. We avenged the blood of our martyrs, destroyed the enemy, and forced them to surrender. Once again, we live and build with pride today as a victorious people.

During the 30-year period of occupation in Garabagh, the Armenian state did not lay a single stone upon another or build a single building, but instead constructed villas and mansions exclusively for its predatory, corrupt, and bloodthirsty leaders. Now you will go and see for yourselves what we have accomplished in that vast territory—an area of approximately 15,000 square kilometers, the size of an entire country—in just four to five years. You will see it with your own eyes.

I welcome you once again. I would particularly like to express my gratitude to the Sheikh, a figure who commands great respect in Azerbaijan, the Caucasus, the Turkic world, the Islamic world, and around the globe. His activities are highly valued both by the Azerbaijani people and by the states and peoples of the region. The events held under his patronage and on his initiative are of immense significance—for our people, for the Caucasus, for the Turkic world, and for the Islamic world. Therefore, Honorable Sheikh, I would like to express my gratitude to you. I also thank all our guests for joining us today. I wish you success, and the peoples and countries you represent, happiness, peace, and good health.

Thank you.

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