At the Heydar Aliyev Centre, an ehsan was given on behalf of President Ilham Aliyev in connection with the day of the death of the national leader.

The ceremony was attended by President Ilham Aliyev, his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva and public representatives from all cities and regions of our country.

The ehsan ceremony began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Koran.

Our head of state spoke at the ceremony.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Today is the day of the commemoration of the great leader Heydar Aliyev. Ten years ago the homeland lost its great son. But every year during these years was a year of triumph for the policy of Heydar Aliyev. As the policy of Heydar Aliyev continued during these ten years, Azerbaijan has been successfully developing.

Heydar Aliyev is a great historical figure. He is the creator of independent Azerbaijan and its founder. In 1991, Azerbaijan gained independence as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, until 1993 it would be wrong to consider Azerbaijan an independent state. An independent state has several signs, but Azerbaijan had none of them. Azerbaijan could not pursue an independent foreign policy and was influenced by other states. We can say that there was no independent economy, and in general, the economy was destroyed. The foundations of statehood had not been created. In this case, until 1993 it would be wrong to consider Azerbaijan an independent state.

It is thanks to the wisdom and policy of Heydar Aliyev that Azerbaijan became an independent state in the truest sense of the word. So we all rightly perceive Heydar Aliyev as the creator of Azerbaijan's state independence, and it is Heydar Aliyev's biggest service to history and to the people.

In 1993, the Azerbaijani people showed great wisdom and in the most difficult moments for our country and people, they turned to Heydar Aliyev and invited him to power. Why? There were several reasons. First of all, the work implemented by Heydar Aliyev in the 1970-1980s lived in the memory of the people. Before 1970, Azerbaijan was the most backward republic in Soviet Union. But thanks to the activity of Heydar Aliyev in the early 1980s, Azerbaijan became the most advanced republic on the Soviet scale. Those years lived in people's memory. At the same time, in the most difficult moments for our people, Heydar Aliyev was always with the people. And during the 20 January tragedy, he raised his right voice. At that time, there were still two years left to the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, Heydar Aliyev raised his courageous voice, condemned this crime of the Soviet leadership and denounced it. He accused the Soviet leadership, refused the Communist Party, left its ranks and demonstrated true leadership qualities. It is thanks to the decision of Heydar Aliyev that the national flag of Azerbaijan - the tricolour of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic - was declared the national flag in Nakhchivan.

All this suggests that, regardless of the socio-political system, Heydar Aliyev was always a true leader, a real leader. That is why in 1993 - in the most difficult moments for our people - the people appealed to him and invited him to power, and after that, a period of stability and development began in Azerbaijan. The foundations of statehood were laid, the Constitution of independent Azerbaijan was adopted and a major reform was launched. Azerbaijan was able to take its firm place in the international arena. The reform conducted in the country ensured its development. The Azerbaijani state is based on very deep national roots and national values. The rapid development of Azerbaijan in 1993-2003 also secured our current realities. It is thanks to the policy pursued in those years that Azerbaijan embarked on the path of development, demonstrated its principled position on all matters relating to internal policies in the international arena and won a lot of respect in the world. The reforms that were initiated in the country played a crucial role for our country.

Heydar Aliyev's policy continued in the subsequent period. In 2003-2013, Azerbaijan went down in history as the most rapidly developing country in the world. The foundation for this development was laid by Heydar Aliyev. Remaining committed to the policy of the great leader, we continued and enriched it and confidently moved Azerbaijan forward.

Over the last ten years, there have been great achievements, results and successes in any field. With the great support of the international community, Azerbaijan was elected a member of the UN Security Council, which is the most authoritative structure in the world. Azerbaijan became a country with the fastest growing economy on the global scale. There are results in all areas. Baku has become one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The programme on the improvement of our regions has been successfully implemented. The state programmes on the socioeconomic development of regions have been successfully implemented. We have become a space power. An Azerbaijan satellite was launched into orbit. We have implemented projects of importance to our country and the world in the fields of energy and transport, which will serve the prosperous life of our people and our country in the coming decades.

The main condition for achieving all these successes is our commitment to the policy of Heydar Aliyev. Ten years ago, I promised the people of Azerbaijan that if they trust me, I will stay true to this policy and will not deviate from this path. I am glad that all the promises are reflected in life. During the ten years, the policy of Heydar Aliyev continued and developed and the bright memory of Heydar Aliyev lived in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people.

The successes achieved by Azerbaijan over the past 20 years are now being studied and researched in the world, various articles and research papers are being written, and the secrets of the successful development of Azerbaijan are being studied. In this connection, I have repeatedly been asked how Azerbaijan managed to achieve such great development in recent years.

Of course, one can talk about it for a long time. Today I just want to say that you need to be tied to your people and love your people. You need to be committed to the state. You need to put independence above everything else and be a leader like Heydar Aliyev, be like him. Thanks to his wisdom and determination, he won the love of the Azerbaijani people. In the most difficult moments the Azerbaijani people were sure that Heydar Aliyev would protect the independence and interests of the state, the interests of our nation and the state and take the right decision regarding the development of our people. The trust of the people gave him extra strength and allowed him to defend the interests of the country more successfully. The unity of the people and the government is the main reason for our success, since the foundation of our policy is the people of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani citizen, his problems and concerns. In this case, of course, there will be successes too. A deliberate policy should be carried out, the unity of the people and the government should be strong, and of course, in order to occupy a worthy place in the modern world and on the world map, a resolute policy should be carried out.

We learnt, are learning and will learn all this from Heydar Aliyev. The younger generation is also being raised in the spirit of patriotism. The younger generation should also go this way in the future. Heydar Aliyev's policy should continue. For the happy future of our country, this policy has no alternatives. I said it ten years ago, and I am saying it today, and life confirmed it.

If in 1993 or in 2003, Azerbaijan had gone another way, great tragedies would await our country. Our advantage and our happiness lie in the fact that the Azerbaijani people demonstrated wisdom at crucial moments, made the right choice and are committed to this choice. This choice will also ensure our future successes.

Today, this ehsan ceremony is being held in a majestic Centre that bears the name of Heydar Aliyev. This Centre is one of the most beautiful and magnificent buildings in the world. This Centre is a monument to the memory of Heydar Aliyev. But the greatest monument to the memory of Heydar Aliyev is the independent Azerbaijani state.

Today there are representatives from each district, intellectuals, elders and famous people here. Today the whole of Azerbaijan is here. Today, ehsans are given and the great leader is commemorated in every region of our country. Today is a sad day. Ten years ago, Azerbaijan lost its great son. At the same time, today is a day of national unity and national solidarity, because today the Azerbaijani people have rallied around Heydar Aliyev's policy and his ideas more closely.

I am sure that in the future, this policy will continue successfully. All the roads lying in front of us and all horizons are open and clear. We are going forward, we are going towards development, and we will continue to govern Azerbaijan through the policy of Heydar Aliyev and ensure a happy future for the Azerbaijani people. May God bless the soul of the great leader!

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Then the ehsan was given.

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Then the chairman of the Board of Muslims of the Caucasus, Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazada, took the floor. He said:

In the name of Allah, the Merciful and the Compassionate,

Your Excellency, Mr President Ilham Aliyev,

Dear Mehriban khanum,

Dear participants in the majlis and guests,

In world history, there are individuals who belong not only to their people and nation, but to all mankind, and mankind learns from them. One of these individuals was the great leader Mr Heydar Aliyev.

His Excellency Heydar Aliyev conquered the highest peaks in all spheres of social and political life. This is not a secret for us, not so long ago we were all witnesses to the fact that Azerbaijan was threatened with a national massacre and hunger, and even dismemberment of Azerbaijan was on the agenda. With the help of God, with the support and at the call of the people, His Excellency Heydar Aliyev returned to Azerbaijan. Not only did he rescue Azerbaijan from dismemberment, he also wrote and created the new history of Azerbaijan. Today, this policy is being continued by his followers.

It has been ten years since the great leader is not with us, but his soul is always with us. His words, his dreams, the way he showed, the school of the statehood he taught us and the independence to which he gave life live and will live. Of course, today Azerbaijan is not what it was 20 years ago. Today, Azerbaijan has become one of the powerful states recognized worldwide. Of course, we achieved these successes thanks to the head of our state.

I am very pleased that the stronger and firmer the foundations of the state, the greater importance the head of our state attaches to spiritual life. Yesterday, religious leaders from Georgia, as well as from Derbent to Krasnodar called me and expressed condolences to you, Mr President, and all the people of Azerbaijan. They mark this day of remembrance, the Koran is recited and prayers are performed. This is history. People who create history later become history themselves. Today His Excellency Heydar Aliyev is history for us. Mr President said this majestic building itself bears the name of Mr Heydar Aliyev. Of course, this means immortalizing his memory.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Mehriban khanum, who raised our statehood, our heritage and our culture to the world level, made a great contribution to the implementation of the ideas of Heydar Aliyev. May Allah help her in this matter!

I want to mention one more issue. Public events are always held here. Heads of state and presidents visit here and conferences are held here. But I want to reveal a secret to you: when we consulted with our President, he advised us to hold the day of remembrance for the great leader. He said:

I want to sit at the same table as common people, elders and believers. This is another argument confirming that our President is the President of all the Azerbaijani people irrespective of religion, language and nationality.

Mr President, on behalf of everyone here I want to thank you for this spiritual life given to us. We will never forget it. This is great history for us. May Allah accept your ehsan, Inshallah! May Allah bless the soul of the great leader Mr Heydar Aliyev! May Allah bless the soul of his spouse Zarifa khanum! May Allah bless the souls of all martyrs!

But one of the most cherished dreams of the great leader was the liberation of Karabakh lands. Let Allah grant us the speedy liberation of these lands under the leadership of our President and a day of remembrance for his memory there.

I want to say once again: May Allah bless the soul of the great leader! I wish happiness to all the people of Azerbaijan led by our head of state.

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The ehsan ceremony ended after Sheikh ul-Islam Pashazada recited the Surah Al-Fatiha.