As part of a visit to Salyan District, President Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of the Kursangi-Yolustu local road.
The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the road.
President Ilham Aliyev was informed about the work carried out on the Kursangi-Yolustu road. It was indicated that the road passes through the Kursangi, Birinji Varli, Yolustu and Yeni Ulukhanli villages. In addition, the road will contribute to the solution of the road problem of more than 10,000 residents of the Peyk and Ikinji Varli villages. The road is 23.5 kilometers in length and 10 meters wide.
The President was informed that the Kursangi-Yolustu road has been renovated using the money allocated from the President’s reserve fund.
President Ilham Aliyev met with representatives of the district public.
Meeting with representatives of the district public, President Ilham Aliyev said:
- On this wonderful holiday I would like to sincerely congratulate you on the opening of the new road.
RESIDENTS: Thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev: It is a great road, it links five villages. These villages are home to more than 10,000 people. The executive authority of the district has said there was a need for building this road. I immediately signed the order, funds were allocated and this beautiful road was built.
RESIDENTS: May God help you, thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev: I am sure that this road will be comfortable. Road construction is one of our top priorities. We are building highways now. The Salyan-Baku road, the Baku-Astara highway and indeed rural roads are being refurbished. It is also very important. Recently, in the past, this year and next year we will invest major funds in rural roads.
This morning I attended the opening of a new road linking several villages in Astara. Now we are opening this road in Salyan. Almost every week and month I sign orders on the construction of new rural roads in each region because we are now completing main road projects. Their implementation is drawing to a close. Currently, our focus is on rural roads.
Decent life requires the presence of roads, electricity, gas, water, housing, jobs. We are dealing with all these issues. We will continue to deal with them. I am sure that the second phase of the state program the socioeconomic development of districts will be successfully completed by the end of next year and all the socioeconomic issues will be resolved.
RESIDENT: Inshallah, may God protect a President like you.
President Ilham Aliyev: Salyan District is also developing. The district center, the town is getting prettier and improving. I was in Salyan last year. I had come here before. I think this is my fifth or sixth visit to Salyan as President. What I saw today is very gratifying indeed. Beautiful buildings, excellent roads, jobs, retail outlets. The improvement of the city is certainly a very positive phenomenon. Villages should also improve. People in the villages should live well. The process of gasification is ongoing.
Perhaps by the end of next year all the villages of Salyan District will be gasified. Water supply projects are also implemented. There are no problems with electricity. The construction of rural roads is under way. Earlier we reconstructed the Salyan Central District Hospital, built the Olympic Sports Center, a major power plant. In subsequent years, additional measures will be taken to successfully develop the district. I want Salyan to be one of Azerbaijan’s most beautiful towns. There are opportunities for that. There is landscaping and creative work. This is very gratifying. In parallel with this we should implement all infrastructure projects.
Today we celebrated the opening of an ancient mosque after restoration. I was shown the findings proving that Salyan is an ancient city. As you know, a large archeological expedition has been working here. According to scientists, the discoveries are 2,800 years old, they confirm that there was an ancient settlement here. I have signed the order to set up a beautiful museum in Salyan that would exhibit these findings. This will signal a start to the development of Salyan as a tourist center and a historical settlement. Previously, nothing was done to develop tourism here. But these discoveries, I am sure, will enable us to work on this area.
In terms of distance, Salyan is close to Baku. It should not lag behind Baku. Baku is one of the most beautiful cities of the world today. Salyan should be close to Baku in all respects.
RESIDENTS: God willing!
President Ilham Aliyev: This is the case from the distance standpoint and should be the case from the standpoint of improvement and beauty. When appointing Tahir Karimov to the post of the head of executive authority of this district, I gave him this instruction. I am sure he will live up to the confidence of the people of Salyan and mine.
Speaking on behalf of local residents, Alipanah Nazarov conveyed to President Ilham Aliyev the best wishes of the people of Salyan for the joy granted to them on this holiday. A. Nazarov said:
- Please allow me to greet you on behalf of 40,000 people living in these places and welcome you to Salyan! We are gathered for the opening of a road which had been in a dilapidated and deplorable condition for over 40 years. It was causing major discomfort to children and ill people. This road connected us both with the district center and Baku. On your personal order and instruction this road was repaired and restored over a short time. This is a real gift to us, the rural population, from the President of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Novruz. There is a popular superstition that those who meet on the last pre-holiday Tuesday will see each other often. We are meeting on the last pre-holiday Tuesday, you visiting us, so we would like such meetings to occur frequently.
Mr. President, taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate you, your family and your grandchildren on this upcoming holiday. Happy Novruz! We wish you a long life and good health. Amen!
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you very much. I am sure we will meet even more often.
RESIDENTS: Inshallah.
President Ilham Aliyev: I often come to Salyan. I want to remind you that I started my 2003 presidential election campaign in Salyan. The great leader also began his 1998 campaign in Salyan. Today we are celebrating a remarkable event. Again, this is my fifth or sixth visit to Salyan as President. In the future there will be many more opening ceremonies. There will be great events.
RESIDENTS: Inshallah.
President Ilham Aliyev: There are wonderful plans on further developing Salyan. Tahir Karimov has shown me a presentation. It provides for major and impressive plans on developing the town and transforming Salyan into a modern city. I am sure that with the support of the people of Salyan we will achieve all these goals. Salyan will become one of the most beautiful towns of this region and Azerbaijan as a whole. Baku is already recognized as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is an internationally recognized city. All our cities must become more beautiful. All towns and villages must have good living conditions, jobs, infrastructure projects must be implemented. The Azerbaijani people must live even better.
Residents of every village must live well. I have repeatedly said this and I want to say it again: if the problems of each village are resolved, then all the problems facing the country will also be resolved. Because about half of Azerbaijan's population lives in the countryside. We are doing a lot to ensure a comfortable life of the rural population and create jobs in the countryside. We support and will continue to support the farmers. We are providing concessional loans, machinery and fertilizer, building roads. We have ambitious plans for the coming years. I am sure there will be many more such wonderful meetings in Salyan District because more opening ceremony are coming up. We have made a great progress. There are major successes in store for us.
My greetings to you again! Congratulations!
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Then a picture was taken.
