Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 January / corr Trend K.Ramazanova /
"Dear President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev,
I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the time taken to reply to my letter and giving me a gift of a computer. [...]. I received my first big gift from you Thank you and I promise to study well and to become a deserved citizen of Azerbaijan.
This is an excerpt from a letter written by 15-year old Hurana Beylarova, who received a wished-for gift from the Azerbaijani President. Trend decided to find out the details of the history of the letter, published in the Azerbaijani President's official website.
Question: What class are you in?
Answer: In ninth grade.
Question: Why did you decide to write to the President? Have you talked with your friends in this connection?
Answer: Yes, we gathered at home on 24 January to celebrate my birthday and decided to write a letter to the Azerbaijani President. On 24 December it was both his and my birthday. I really wanted the President to give me a gift of a computer. On 11 January an employee of the Azerbaijani President's Executive Apparat telephoned me. He thanked me for the letter and said that the President read my letter and decided to give me a gift of a computer.
Question: Why did you decide to appeal namely to the President?
Answer: I thought that he could give me a computer, because he is our President. Previously, he gave my father, who was disabled during the Karabakh War and a former handball player, a car. My father was the captain of the Absheron District of Baku national team, 5 times champion of the country. I have started playing handball as well.
Question: How will you use the computer?
Answer: I need it to study well. I have learned to work on the computer. At school we do not have the opportunity to work with computers.
Question: How do you study?
Answer: Normally.
Question: What are your favorite subjects?
Answer: English, Russian, Algebra and Azerbaijani.
Question; How did your friends at school respond to the President's decision?
Answer: They were very happy. Most of them do not believe that the President has time to read and answer the letter from every citizen who appeals to him as well as a letter written by a 15-year old girl. They think that it is impossible. It has even interested other people and they are also keen to appeal to the President for support.
Question: What would you like to be when you grow up?
Answer: I want to be a journalist! It is interesting for me to communicate with people, travel all over the world and meet different people.
Question: How do you regard the President?
Answer: He is very good. He is unique. There is no President of this kind anywhere else. I live in Khirdalan [city near Baku] and he pays so much attention to the improvement of our city. Our country is developing and he takes care of every citizen and youth. I wrote in my letter we love him very much and all our relatives and friends will vote for him during the 2008 presidential elections. We are proud of what he has done for our country.
Now we should return our lands. My father fought in the army and I am also prepared to go to war to liberate our land. Not only I, but all my teenage friends and I think every citizen of Azerbaijan will defend his Motherland as soon as the President calls for it.
Question: Would you like to meet with the President?
Answer: Sure! I would be very interested. Not everyone can meet with the President.
Question: What are your dreams?
Answer: I want to enter university, to study well and become a deserved citizen of the country and justify the President's hopes.
Question: The fact that the President paid attention to you and gave you a gift of a computer actually puts a responsibility on you. So, you should study well and be model for other children ...
Answer: Sure. I will study well to enter university and to work to become a journalist, to write the truth and to be a deserved citizen of the country.
