Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening of a new settlement for 525 IDP families in Goranboy

- Congratulations. A really nice settlement has been established here. Exactly a year ago we commissioned first houses.

I came here then and examined these projects. Construction was in progress then and I was told that there would be a settlement comprised of beautiful five-storey buildings here. The houses are ready now and you are already moving in.

The conditions are also good, so there is already a certain standard. This standard is always observed – beautiful and bright homes. Your previous residence was not so nice. This is shown on the photographs here. You were settled in old sanatoriums in Naftalan. The conditions were very harsh there. Here the situation is incomparably different. All the conditions are available, there is a nice music school, a secondary school and a kindergarten. The entire infrastructure has been created.

So there are all the conditions for normal life here.

The number of such projects in Goranboy District is growing. I remember the great leader participating in the opening of a new settlement in the village of Ashagi Agjakand in 2002. I was also present, so was Ali Hasanov. I remember standing together and the great leader saying heart-felt words. It was the first such step. The first and very important!

Because the Ashagi Agjakand settlement is ancient Azerbaijani land, it has always been Azerbaijani. This is historical Azerbaijani land and the settlement of refugees from Armenia and IDPs from Khojali there was a truly great event.

Since that time, we have been going along the way paved by the great leader in this field. We are implementing his recommendations and instructions. There have been no tent-camps for five years. The last one was eliminated in 2007.

We are building nice settlements, have established over 70 settlements. Tens of thousands of IDPs have been provided with excellent conditions. There are many such measures, including, I repeat, those in Goranboy District. I was here last year, exactly a year ago, in February. In 2009 I participated in a similar event in the village of Veisli. And today I am with you.

A month ago, in December, we participated in the opening of a beautiful settlement in Agjabadi District. So this process is powering ahead. It is assuming a broad scope. During a Cabinet meeting several days ago I set the task of allocating funds in addition to the envisaged amount for this purpose. We had initially envisaged 110 million manats, but I instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to increase it two to three times. The issue has already been discussed. This year we will spend 300 million manats on construction. So thanks to these allocations up to 14,000 people will be resettled to beautiful homes and settlements.

These are major initiatives. But they require major funds. Azerbaijan is a strong state now. We have created a strong economy. Our financial capabilities are also improving. What is the most important issue facing the country? I have repeatedly said this and let me say it again: the most important issue is to provide IDPs with normal houses and apartments.

Any sphere is a priority for us. If the economy doesn’t develop, we will not have the financial resources. But the question of spending the material resources, of course, depends on our policies. Our policies are open, clear and unambiguous.

At the heart of these policies is the citizen of Azerbaijan. The citizen of Azerbaijan is the driving force for all our affairs.

Everything is done for the people. Everything is done for those who live in difficult conditions. And it is the IDPs who live in the most difficult conditions in Azerbaijan. In remarks at the mentioned Cabinet meeting, Ali Hasanov said the level of poverty among the IDPs had dropped from 74 to 18 per cent. It is a very good indicator, but it is still too high considering the fact that the overall figure for the country is below 8 per cent. We must and will take even bigger steps to build homes and increase the rate of employment among IDPs. I am sure that the level of poverty will reduce further.

You certainly know perfectly well that IDPs are exempt from all public payments. This is our public policy. This policy must be continued. After our lands are freed from occupiers, we will build beautiful homes there. We will be create jobs and infrastructure there. Of course, these benefits will not be necessary then. But as long as you live in places of temporary residence, these benefits must be preserved.

Today, before coming here, I visited the frontline and met soldiers and officers. The frontline runs right along the border of Nagorno-Karabakh, the former autonomous region. I am very pleased that the morale of our servicemen is at a good level, the combat readiness, hardware, weaponry and ammunition, logistics are at a high level. After looking at the opposite side, I thought and saw again that we will definitely return to our lands.

It can’t be otherwise. This confidence is always growing. I truly believe in this and want every citizen to believe in this too. We will go back to our lands and are doing everything for that – we are in talks, we are strengthening our economy, making political initiatives and building up our military strength.

All these factors demonstrate Azerbaijan’s superiority. There will come a time when this advantage will become a reality.

Because all occupied territories, including Nagorno-Karabakh, are our ancestral lands. Our citizens must and will go back to these lands. We have lived on these lands for centuries and will live there on and on. I simply want to achieve this as soon as possible. We are doing our utmost for that. Unfortunately, it is so far impossible. But I have no doubt whatsoever that Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity. We are building such beautiful homes for you. I repeat, as I do practically every time I meet with IDPs: this is a temporary place of residence. It is good, but temporary. We will build even more beautiful homes than these, including those in Khojali, Kalbajar, Lachin and all other districts.

We are entering 2012 with such a wonderful event. At the same time, we celebrated the opening of a very important and large aluminum plant and other facilities in Ganja today. I am very pleased that we are beginning 2012 with such wonderful events. If we consider that we will allocate a record amount for improving the lives of the IDPs this year, there will be many more such meetings and such events.