Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 24 / Trend M. Aliyev /
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was declared "Person of the Year" in Romania, the Azerbaijani Embassy in Romania said.
The influential magazine "Balcanii si Europa" ("The Balkans and Europe") held an awards ceremony in Bucharest for outstanding merits achieved in social and political life this year.
The prize was established in 2000, and is awarded in the following categories - politics, economy, justice, human rights, and culture. Heads of state and governments, and public and political figures in southeastern Europe were previously awarded the prize.
By the jury's unanimous decision, Aliyev was named "Person of the Year - 2010."
The jury grounded its decision with the progress achieved by Azerbaijan in the political, economic, scientific, cultural and humanitarian spheres, as well as the special attention paid by the president to Romanian-Azerbaijani relations and the development of the Caspian-Black Sea region. As an example, they cited the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector project, which isintended to solve power problems in Western Europe.
Azerbaijan's dynamic economic development was stressed at the awards ceremony. The jury noted that Azerbaijan's progress has provided the country with a worthy place in the system of international relations, and also increased its geostrategic significance.