Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of the Heydar Aliyev Congress Center in Gabala

As part of a visit to Gabala, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of the Heydar Aliyev Congress Center. 

First, President Ilham Aliyev met with representatives of the Gabala District public. He said:

- Hello, opening ceremonies in Gabala are continuing. Each time I visit Gabala, I attend the opening ceremonies of new enterprises, recreation areas and social facilities. Today, we are celebrating the opening of the Gabala Heydar Aliyev Congress Center. This is a very significant event. This Congress Center is named after great leader Heydar Aliyev. Heydar Aliyev is the founder of the independent Azerbaijan, its creator. It is thanks to his work that Azerbaijan is developing successfully today. Thanks to his hard work Azerbaijan has managed to get out of the difficult situation in the early 1990s and to embark on the path of development. And we are continuing his course.

Today, Azerbaijan is one of the most rapidly developing countries of the world. Our economy, political capacity and regions are developing. The establishment in Gabala of such grand buildings and palaces certainly suggests that Azerbaijan is a modern and strong state in the true sense of the word. Our regions should not lag behind the capital either. A few years ago, I set the task that all our cities should develop and the conditions in the regions should not be inferior to those in the big cities.
Gabala has seen extensive creative work and development in recent years. You are witnessing that because you are involved in all this work. Today I reviewed the activities of a large agro-industrial complex. Today we are also expected to open a new hotel. There are several five-star hotels already. The operation of these hotels and the construction of an international airport are transforming Gabala into an international center. There is quite extensive information about Gabala in the world today. The international activities, the political and cultural events held here spread the glory of Gabala around the world. A traditional music festival is held here. A regular festival has just been hosted. Gabala brings together leading musicians, artists and composers from all over the world. This festival is a great contribution to the cultural life of Gabala and Azerbaijan.

And these days Gabala will host the summit of Turkic-speaking states. The fact that this summit is held in Gabala is certainly an important issue. Last time this summit was held in Azerbaijan in Nakhchivan in 2009. Both Nakhchivan and Gabala are ancient lands of Azerbaijan. These cities have a great history. When it was Azerbaijan’s turn to host the summit again, I decided to hold the summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States in Gabala. This will allow our guests the opportunity to get to know Azerbaijan better. Besides, hosting of this event is a very significant event for Gabala. In addition, there are opportunities for conducting any international events here. Such magnificent congress centers are not built in too many countries. The airport, several five-star hotels, other hotels, tourist centers, the culture center which was opened during my previous visit here – all this shows that a great deal is being done. The government allocates funds. All the infrastructure projects are implemented at the government's expense. Businesses are investing both in the business sphere and in social projects. This is very gratifying. There is extensive debate in the world as to the issue of corporate social responsibility. In some countries, those who are engaged in major business do not pay enough attention to social issues. In Azerbaijan, on my recommendations, businesses are aware of their social responsibility and contribute to the solution of social problems.

You know better than me how much has been done in Gabala in years past. I just want to point out that the infrastructure and social facilities, airports, roads, gas, electricity, tourist centers – all of these are the result of a careful policy.

Gabala has already become a center of international tourism. A ski resort is also being set up here. At the same time, the industrial potential of Gabala is growing as well. Jobs are being created. New businesses and factories are emerging. These factories and plants cover a variety of industries. So in Gabala we see the successful development of Azerbaijani regions. The work being undertaken here is worthy of praise and approval. I welcome this work. I am sure that the city of Gabala and Gabala District will continue to develop successfully.

I wish you good health, happiness and continued successes!

XXX

Speaking on behalf of local residents, Arifa Babayeva expressed her gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan for the attention being paid to the development of Gabala.

In conclusion, a picture was taken.

Then the head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the Center.

The fact that Azerbaijan regularly hosts representative international events further enhances the reputation of our country in the international arena and promotes Azerbaijan in the world as a country contributing to intercultural dialogue.

The present-day rapid development of Azerbaijani's regions is clear evidence of the successful continuation on the part of President Ilham Aliyev of the policy defined by great leader Heydar Aliyev. As a result of a goal-oriented policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev, Gabala and all other districts of our country are undergoing a process of modernization, while still retaining their ancient and historical identity. The district has hosted a number of cultural and humanitarian activities of high level. Hotels, roads and an international airport meeting world standards have been built in Gabala in the past few years. Gabala has turned into a host city of a number of international events. It is no coincidence that according to the decision of the Council for Humanitarian Cooperation of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of CIS member-states, adopted at a joint meeting in Ashgabat, Gabala has been declared the "Cultural Capital of the CIS" in 2013. The fact that Gabala with its majestic and matchless nature has become this year's cultural capital of the CIS is largely due to the ancient history of the district. The construction of the Gabala Congress Center named after Heydar Aliyev has made it possible to carry out any international event here. The Congress Center has all the conditions for conducting international events.

The President was informed that the Heydar Aliyev Congress Center designed for 1,200 people is located in the city of Gabala, on the banks of the river Garachay, and covers a total area of 8.5 hectares. Design and construction work at the center began in May 2012 and was completed in July of this year. The first floor of the three-storey building houses carious halls, a 350-seat restaurant and offices. The building has six towers. The hall is covered with a dome 20 meters in diameter and 13 meters above floor level. This dome was made in Switzerland using soundproof materials and is intended for regulating acoustics in the hall.

A multifunctional conference hall for 1,200 seats is located on the second floor.

President Ilham Aliyev reviewed the conference room.

There is also a stage covering an area of 92 square meters, VIP-rooms and security facilities, rooms for artists and the media, and a spacious lobby here. By lowering the seats, the conference room can be quickly adapted to concerts, meetings, etc. The chairs were made by Spanish company “Fiquleras”, which is based in Barcelona. The stage of the hall is built on an ascending and descending platform. There are six simultaneous interpretation booths with special equipment, as well as an observation and automatic control room. The conference room is equipped with a perfect sound system enabling to adjust sound conditions depending on whether it is required for a conference, a concert and an entertainment event. On the third floor of the center there is a mezzanine. There is a telephone exchange, a fire room, a warehouse, a parking lot, a room for the media and a lobby in the basement. The building has an 18-meter escalator and elevators. The Congress Centre has an underground car park for 140 vehicles. Above the car park there is a Flag Square and a landscaped park. The car park consists of two sections. The first will accommodate cars and the second is meant for buses. The roof of the building and the towers are covered with copper sheets produced in Germany.

Furthermore, in accordance with the 9-point seismic standard, there are anti-quake expansion joints and other constructive facilities here. The area has places for recreation, terraces, etc. To ensure smooth access of vehicles to the building, roads have been laid to it from three directions. In front of the building, a bridge 24 meters wide, 42 meters long and with a capacity of up to 100 tons has been built over the river. The banks of the Garachay River, which flows through the facility, have been lined with river stones.

The building and the area around it are monitored by video equipment. Two underground tanks have been built for fire safety and watering purposes. The car park and the conference room are equipped with fire sprinklers. The building is also fitted with a modern interior and exterior alarm and fire extinguishing systems.

It was noted that the second stage involves reconstruction of the lake and the area around it. This section covers an area of 3 hectares. The territory around the lake will be improved and landscaped, and ornamental trees and fountains set up in it.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed his satisfaction with the work done and gave further instructions and recommendations.