Ensuring Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is one of the major issues facing the country, the president told the World Azerbaijani Congress in Baku.
He was referring to the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts which remain occupied by Armenian forces.
President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan would use all factors, including the military, to ensure its territorial integrity, APA reported.
He noted in his speech to the congress that international organizations had passed resolutions on the Karabakh problem, which remained unfulfilled because of what he described as Armenia’s "unconstructive position".
"Yerevan has to understand that Azerbaijan’s potential cannot be compared with Armenia’s capability. Azerbaijan’s economic potential is ten times greater than Armenia’s economic potential. Armenia has no power to compete with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s military expenditure is 50 percent more than Armenia’s budget," the president said, echoing remarks made in his speech at a military parade on 26 June, Armed Forces Day.
The head of state stressed in his address that international legal norms also supported Azerbaijan’s position on resolution of the conflict.
He said that a settlement was in the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"The mediating countries also state that the status quo is inadmissible. Azerbaijan will continue the negotiations. Armenia knows very well that they are guests in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian state was established in historical Azerbaijani land – Irevan and Zangazur. The Turkic world was geographically separated, as Zangazur was given to Armenia."
Development
Reviewing Azerbaijan's rapid development, the president said “the country is managed on a democratic basis. Speech and the press are free in Azerbaijan. The responsibilities facing the country are being met. Today Azerbaijan has become an important factor in the region. Acceptable world experience is applied in Azerbaijan. Modernization is under way. The influence of the world economic crisis on Azerbaijan was negligible as a result of the economic reforms.”
President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan’s economy had grown three-fold in the past seven years, while Gross Domestic Product had increased 300% and the poverty level fallen five-fold, APA reported. "This shows that the human factor stands at the basis of our economic policy,” he said.
Noting that $16bn were invested in the country last year, the president said that standards of living had improved.
Azerbaijan’s influence in the region is increasing, while its economy accounts for 75% of the economy of the South Caucasus, Ilham Aliyev continued.
He said that Azerbaijan made no mistakes either in domestic or foreign policy and was recognized as a reliable partner.
Diaspora
“The Azerbaijani state has done a great deal in the sphere of the diaspora,” the president told the congress.
He said the number of diaspora organizations had increased from 336 five years ago to 416. “Diaspora organizations have strengthened and begun to have their say.”
The head of state expressed concern at discord between embassies and diaspora organizations and urged them to work together.
“Azerbaijani communities and diplomatic representations must act together in their countries of residence. Sometimes there is discord. It must be ended. The diaspora organizations must act together. Embassies and diaspora organizations must have strong cooperation. Sometimes I am concerned about these relations. Diaspora organizations and embassies must work as a team.”
The president said that the Azerbaijani diaspora gave a worthy response to the "dirty campaigns" of the Armenian lobby.
“Azerbaijan’s diplomacy must be the diplomacy of attack,” he said and should use all resources, including the Internet.
The president said the Azerbaijani diaspora should become a factor in the domestic policy of their countries of residence and be represented in state and government agencies and legislative bodies.
He appealed to businessmen abroad to help their compatriots.
“Help the Azerbaijanis, employ more Azerbaijanis! More Azerbaijanis should be employed in the projects of Azerbaijani state companies abroad; Azerbaijani-owned companies should be involved in these projects as contractors.”
“Azerbaijanis living all over the world have one motherland – this is Azerbaijan! The Azerbaijani state supports Azerbaijanis living all over the world,” the president said, wrapping up his speech.
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