President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of a renovated Culture Center in Masalli.

The President was informed that the Culture Center was built in 1956 and was not overhauled. The three-storeybuilding has a total area of 7,300 square meters. The major overhaul of the district’s main cultural institutions began in 2011. The renovation has been carried out by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

There is photo stand in the lobby of the center describing the care of great leader Heydar Aliyev about the figures of art and culture. There is also a collection of photographs describing the care and attention of President Ilham Aliyev to the development of culture in our country and the people who have made a major contribution to this area.

The building of the Culture Center, which has been renovated with funds allocated on an order on the development of the city signed by the head of state after his previous visit to Masalli, meets modern standards. The entire infrastructure of the Culture Center, which consists of an assembly hall for 358 people and other rooms, has been fully upgraded.

During familiarization with the Center,the head of state listened to the performance of a choir from the district’s school of art.

President Ilham Aliyev also met with the representatives of the Masalli District public.

After greeting representatives of the district public, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- The Culture Center is ready and is starting to operate. I am glad that it has been renovated to a high standard. When I was here last time, I issued the instruction to overhaul the building, and it is ready now. This, I think, is yet another contribution to the development of Masalli and Azerbaijani culture as a whole. Of course, along with all the infrastructure projects, the measures and facilities associated with culture, work in the field of culture is particularly important. After all, culture is the foundation of everything.

The Azerbaijani people have a very rich culture and history. We are rightly proud of our culture. Today, Azerbaijan is a country known throughout the world for its culture, music and history. Days of Azerbaijan are held in various parts of the world. The whole world knows how rich Azerbaijani culture is. Baku and the regions, including Masalli, have been hosting various cultural events and competitions. The Azerbaijani society has always been very attracted to culture, and today the independent state of Azerbaijan is built on very strong foundations – historical and cultural foundations and spiritual values. Therefore, the reconstruction of culture centers is highly important. Let me say again that along with all the other projects, work in this area also deserves commendation.

I have repeatedly visited Masalli in the past 10 years. This is my eighth visit. I come here almost every year and take part in various opening ceremonies. I am glad that the number of opening ceremonies is growing and the decisions made earlier are yielding fruit. A lot has been done in Masalli in recent years. This work continues today. In particular, projects related to the district infrastructure district are successfully implemented. The construction of highways and rural roads is well under way. There are more than 100 villages in Masalli. This is a very important project. Rural roads are a major issue for people living in the country. Of course, we primarily made decisions on the construction of highways. And now it is the turn of rural roads, and these projects have become widespread in Masalli. A modern hospital will be commissioned in the coming months.

All districts are different. There are districts where the majority of the population lives in the district center, in the city. In Masalli, most people live in rural areas. In this case, when we provide the city with water, but what happens to the villages? These recommendations were taken into account. This project should be completed by the end of next year and clean drinking water will be supplied. This is also a great historic achievement because water sources in our country are limited. Water was always a problem in the old days, during the Soviet period. In the 1970s, water pipes were laid at the initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev. At that time, the population of Azerbaijan was not so large. Now the population is growing, and so are the needs. Moreover, the lifetime of the old lines is coming to an end. So the implementation of new projects is of great importance. At present, projects of drinking water are implemented throughout the country, including this region. Today we celebrated the opening of drinking water projects in Bilasuvar and Yardimli.
Resident: May this day come here too.

President Ilham Aliyev: You will have it next year. Every district and every city! At the initial stage, all cities and the vast majority of villages will be fully provided with water. These projects are of great importance because water means life.

People can’t live without water. Most of our cities either did not have sewage at all or it was in a poor state. Drinking water is supplied on schedule. Some parts of Baku, even though we are building water lines, get water on schedule.

Therefore, we are implementing a major program, whereby Baku, all our cities and most of the villages will have drinking water. People will see the benefits of that – both today's and future generations. Drinking water is a major issue for public health. Masalli has beautiful nature, clean air, mountains, forests and high-quality food. Only water is a problem.

And I think it will be resolved by the end of next year. All the other social projects will be implemented as well. I am aware that there are still schools in disrepair. There are quite a few of them. They also need to be renovated. Hospitals, drinking water, rural roads, electricity and gas supply are going well here. All the villages of Masalli District must be gasified.

This principle underlies our regional program. When a "regional program" is mentioned, some people think that districts are only about district centers. This is partly true, but there are also villages and settlements. They are also districts. Of course, the focus is on district centers and cities. But all villages should also have roads, gas, electricity and water. If it goes on like this, there will be no outstanding infrastructure problems in the coming years. All the issues will be resolved. Of course, along with that, we need to continue reforms in the economic sphere. Masalli has great potential for the development of agriculture and tourism. Industrial enterprises and jobs are being created here. This work will be further boosted in the future because there is still much to do. We will have many more meetings with you in the future, as there will be more opening ceremonies. There will be water projects, hospitals and other events. We will attend these events together. I congratulate you again.

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The director of the culture house in the Mahmudavarvillage,Natavan Aliyeva, the chairman of the district society of intellectuals,GardashFatullayev,and the kadi of the Caucasus Muslims office, MirgiyasTahmazov, expressed their gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev on behalf of the residents of Masalli.

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President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. It will be good if your group conducts concerts in various cities of Azerbaijan. There are such great culture centers everywhere. Every region has beautiful and modern culture centers. The contacts between regions should be even closer because now our culture is rich, multifaceted and diverse. People living in different places have their own traditions and history. It will be good if your group performs in Baku and other cities and goes on foreign tours, so that this wonderful art becomes known. We exchange views about culture. I want to say again that is the foundation, the basis of any state and nation.

Azerbaijan had been a part of other states for many years, for centuries. But we have not lost our identity. Why? Because culture and arts have always been strong and the people of Azerbaijan have always been attached to their culture. Today, in the time of independence, we should take more serious steps in this area, of course. It is important for the younger generation to take interest in our national culture. There are trends of globalization in the world now. Whereas 10 years ago the majority of the public welcomed it, now these issues are dominated by more realistic views. Globalization, of course, is imperative. But national values should not be lost under the guise of globalization. We must not lose them.
Young people should be brought up in the national spirit – in the spirit of patriotism and the national spirit. It must be committed to its traditions and perpetuate its arts. This is a unique art. You are perpetuating it, and the next generation should also continue this work.

Gardash Fatullaev: Thank you for increasing the salaries of teachers, doctors, culture workers and the pensions of retirees lately. This has inspired everyone. I thank you on their behalf.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Wages and pensions are raised on a regular basis. This growth also has a special meaning because wages are not rising but are actually reduced in the world now. Work week and the retirement age are increased, while salaries and jobs are being cut. In some developed countries, unemployment reaches 30 per cent. But Azerbaijan is one of a handful of countries where salaries and pensions were increased even in the years of crisis. The latest increase will cover 3 million people, including pensioners. If I say that we are satisfied with the wages of those who are currently working in public service, then perhaps it would be wrong. But there is dynamics and growth. As the Azerbaijani economy strengthens, these increases will be even more effective, of course. But everything is relative. In terms of the size of the average wage and the average pension, Azerbaijan is in one of the leading positions in the CIS.
The key thing is that social issues are constantly in the spotlight. The opening of this culture center is a social project. Drinking water is a social project. Rural roads and hospitals are social projects. All of this work has a social essence. All of this work requires a lot of money. Azerbaijan, as you know, is one of the countries living at its own expense, does not depend on anyone, any other state or international financial institutions. On the contrary, we are now providing loans to certain international financial institutions. So we have reached this level. So we are doing all of this work at our own expense. Today, public debt in countries affected by crisis exceeds 100 per cent of their gross domestic product. In some countries it is 150 per cent and in others 180 per cent. That is, the value of the products manufactured in the country every year is lower than the national debt. The debt is so large that the entire economic growth does not cover it. In Azerbaijan, foreign debt amounts to 7 per cent of the gross domestic product. This is a very rare phenomenon in the world. So not only do we live at our own expense, we also have large reserves. We are receiving credit offers from different places now.

But we do not want to take them because we do everything ourselves.

Masalli District has always held a special place in the overall development of Azerbaijan. It is home to patriotic people. I greet all of you again.

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Then the "Halal" folk group sang the folk song "Ay Lolo".

In conclusion, a photo was taken as a souvenir.