13:45

On September 30, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, received Leonid Slutsky, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party faction in the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

Axar.az reports that during the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev stated:

- Dear Leonid Eduardovich, I am very pleased to greet you. Welcome. Your visit holds great significance. I am confident that this visit will make an important contribution to the strengthening of friendly and partnership relations between our countries.

As you know, last month, the President of the Russian Federation made a state visit that gave a significant boost to the development of our bilateral relations in all areas. You are also aware that there are active inter-parliamentary relations between our legislators. The Intergovernmental Commission is functioning successfully, and humanitarian cooperation is actively developing. All these issues and many others were discussed during the Russian President’s visit. We once again expressed our satisfaction with the consistent, dynamic nature of our relations. Of course, the inter-party relations of the political forces in our countries are also an important factor in mutual cooperation. You lead one of the leading political parties in the Russian Federation, which holds great influence across all regions of the Russian Federation. The successful results of your party’s election campaigns reflect the significant authority of your political force as an important factor in Russia's political system.

Naturally, we observe all of this with great interest and joy. I wish you and the party you lead continued success. As the head of the State Duma’s foreign policy direction, you are, of course, familiar with the successes in Russia-Azerbaijan relations in your daily activities. I believe that today we will have a detailed discussion on these and other issues and determine ways for future cooperation.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude for finding the time to visit Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region despite your busy schedule. Among the settlements you visited was the city of Shusha. This, of course, adds special significance to your visit. I am confident that the people of Azerbaijan, particularly the former IDPs, will greatly appreciate your decision to visit the Karabakh region.

Once again, welcome.

Leonid Slutsky then addressed the meeting:

- Esteemed, dear Ilham Heydarovich. It is both an honor and a significant event for me to visit brotherly Azerbaijan, meet with you, and highlight Azerbaijan's successes in the development of the national economy with great satisfaction. All of Heydar Alirza oglu's legacies are being successfully fulfilled. In terms of social policy, it covers every family and applies to all people. Every year, very important humanitarian projects are implemented in your country.

Being in Shusha, the cultural center of Azerbaijan, was particularly meaningful as it realized my long-standing dream. I can say that the Karabakh region is being restored at an incredible pace. There are already beautiful international airports in Fuzuli and Zangilan, and a third one is being built rapidly. Today, Shusha resembles a magnificent construction site with historical objects being restored. I am happy to have been in Shusha. All of this was very significant for me, which is why I arrived a day early for this visit. I would like to highlight a specific point regarding some regional countries that have tried to take credit for the successful anti-terror operation, which resulted in the return of Karabakh to Azerbaijan. After the national poverty reduction strategy was successfully implemented, Azerbaijan became an energy-independent country. This was perhaps the greatest legacy of your great father, Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev, the founder of the modern Azerbaijani state, whose memory we also cherish in Russia. In accordance with tradition, I will definitely visit his grave before flying back to Moscow today. When I mention the return of Karabakh, I mean that no country, apart from Azerbaijan, its leadership, its people, and its Armed Forces, contributed to this outcome. This was a major national issue and a historically resolved task that also brings stability to the South Caucasus.

Today, the creation of new jobs at a rapid pace, as well as the implementation of knowledge-based clusters, is underway in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region. Just as some didn’t believe Karabakh would be liberated soon, today there are those who cannot imagine what will be created in Karabakh in a few years. But I saw with my own eyes that this region will once again flourish and transform into fertile lands, and new infrastructure projects will be implemented in Karabakh, benefiting the people to whom you, dear Ilham Heydarovich, have dedicated your many years of work as the leader of modern Azerbaijan. This will include major infrastructure companies from both Azerbaijan and Russia.

It was also notable that yesterday I was accompanied by Polad Bulbuloglu, whom we all deeply respect and admire. He served as Azerbaijan’s Minister of Culture for 18 years and has represented Azerbaijan's foreign policy direction in Russia as ambassador, acting as the dean of the diplomatic corps in Moscow. He now represents the Karabakh region, where his father was born, in the Milli Majlis. Yesterday, we visited Bulbul’s historical home museum, which has also been visited by the Presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and other contemporary political and public figures. Thus, yesterday’s visit was doubly significant for me. Therefore, we will now discuss the current issues on our bilateral agenda, including, of course, those related to parliamentary diplomacy, which is developing successfully with the Milli Majlis.

Dear Ilham Heydarovich, after being in Shusha yesterday, I would like to once again congratulate all those whose hearts beat with Azerbaijan, both within and beyond its borders, on the return of Karabakh. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much.