Speech by Ilham Aliyev at the opening of the Jalilabad Olympic Sports Center

- I sincerely congratulate all of you! The opening of the Jalilabad Olympic Sports Center is a major event. I am very pleased to attend the opening of this wonderful center together with you.

This is a very important issue for Jalilabad District, for a comprehensive development of Azerbaijan, for the development of sport in Azerbaijan. I am very pleased that this center meets all the standards both in terms of its appearance and interior design. There is a great swimming pool, a large gym, a fitness room, outdoor areas, a stadium, a hotel. In fact, it is not only a sports facility. This is a very important facility for the development of the district as a whole, for the rapid development of Jalilabad.

Sport is an integral part of our society. Great attention is paid to sport. Olympic centers are built everywhere, in every region, and each new center is more beautiful and functional than previous ones. The Jalilabad Olympic Sports Center is also different from the facilities built in the past, and I am sure that it will serve local athletes and residents.

Of course, it will have various sports clubs. At the same time, local residents can spend their leisure time here. Sports and physical health are very important to us. People’s health depends, among other things, on their attitude to sports.

Our sports policy is at a high level. Our athletes are competing at the London Games now. We have high hopes and I am sure there will be good results. The first medal has already been won. I am sure there will be more. In order to maintain Azerbaijan’s athletic glory, sport must be further promoted. That is the goal of the Olympic facilities created in all our regions: kids and teenagers must do sports, be physically healthy and become professional athletes from early years.
I am very pleased that there is an Olympic center in Jalilabad now. Jalilabad has always had sporting traditions. But the conditions for doing sports were not very good. We have now bridged this gap. Along with this center, I have attended the opening of several other facilities in Jalilabad.

I am very pleased that the district is rapidly and comprehensively developing.

During my previous visits I attended the opening of a Diagnostic Center and other facilities. The Heydar Aliyev Park has turned into a magnificent center. Today I attended the opening of new parks. The Youth Park and the old park in the city have been completely rebuilt. A Youth House has been built. A poultry farm, a granary, schools have been built, various structures renovated. I am very pleased that the development is very fast.

I have also attended the opening of a rural road. It is also very important. The construction of rural roads in Azerbaijan has assumed wide proportions. The construction of a 17-km rural road has also begun in Jalilabad District. The villages it covers are home to more than 20,000 people. There are many villages in Jalilabad – about 200. We must gradually renovate all rural roads.

The work done in just one district, the opening ceremonies I have attended confirm the dynamic development of our country. The work in the economic sphere, the development of districts, the creation of jobs, landscaping and creative measures, the construction and opening of sports facilities and rural roads attest to the dynamic development of our country. In the coming years, this development should be even more rapid. The work done in previous years shows that we have already achieved great success. We are now implementing infrastructure projects. I have enquired and the head of the Executive Authority tells me that gasification in Jalilabad is a little too slow. On returning to Baku I will give additional instructions to speed up the process. The district center must be fully gasified and it will be. We must try to make sure that the vast majority of villages are supplied with gas. The possibilities are there. According to the State Program on the socioeconomic development of districts, these issues must be resolved. We must try to completely resolve the issue of gasification by the end of next year.

Currently, water and sewage projects are among major infrastructure projects. These issues also need to be resolved by the end of next year. This work has already begun. There are funds in the state budget. Water and sanitation should first be provided to Jalilabad and surrounding villages. This is a major project. It is implemented in each district, therefore it requires a lot of money and hard work. In the past, our districts did not have sewage systems at all.

Even in Baku the sewage system was not up to par. The problem of drinking water has always haunted us. We will resolve this issue once and for all. We will gradually eliminate the problems that worry people the most.

We are creating new conditions and excellent opportunities for business, loans are provided.

Agriculture is developing. Agricultural development in Jalilabad should be in the spotlight. As you know, on the initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev, great vineyards were laid in Jalilabad. Unfortunately, Soviet leaders pursued erroneous policies in the late 1980s. All the vineyards were destroyed. It is very difficult to recover them now. Despite that, this issue is gradually being resolved. We had great traditions of viticulture. We all know how profitable viticulture is for farmers. It is no coincidence that I signed a decree on the development of viticulture in Azerbaijan late last year, a state program was adopted. We will try to develop viticulture. The greatest responsibility in this regard rests on Jalilabad because we must restore the old vineyards, create new ones and secure the development of viticulture.

Jalilabad also has a great potential in other areas of agriculture. We are providing farmers with machinery. A fertilizer plant is under construction in Sumgayit. We will provide ourselves with fertilizer.

The district has tourism potential. But it wasn’t used properly because if there is no infrastructure it is impossible. Now, thanks to the construction of new rural roads, mountain areas of Jalilabad will be linked with the district center. There should and there will be tourist facilities and hotels in these beautiful places.

I want to say again that I am very happy that Jalilabad is developing rapidly. The city is changing, modernizing, improving, beautiful buildings are emerging. Old buildings are restored. In short, there is development, dynamics, and this dynamics must be maintained in the coming years. Jalilabad must and will develop even more rapidly.

I congratulate you on the opening of this beautiful building – the Olympic Sports Center, and wish you good health.