First VP Mehriban Aliyeva meets with spouses of heads of diplomatic missions in Baku (PHOTO)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 20

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First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva met with spouses of the heads of diplomatic missions in Baku March 20, on the day of Novruz holiday.

Expressing her satisfaction with the meeting with spouses of heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Azerbaijan, First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva said:

-Dear guests,

Dear friends,

I greet you and congratulate you on the occasion of the Novruz holiday, as well as on the recently celebrated International Women's Day. Novruz is one of the oldest and most revered holidays in Azerbaijan. Novruz is a symbol of spring and I would like to wish each of you and your families health, great happiness and love. I would also like to express respect to the countries you represent here in Azerbaijan, to wish peace and tranquility to your peoples. I highly appreciate the activities of the organization of spouses of heads of diplomatic missions - HOMS (Head of the Mission Spouses). Your personal activities contribute greatly to the development of ties between our countries.

Dear friends, Azerbaijan has historically been a place where representatives of different cultures, nationalities and religions lived in peace and harmony. Today in modern Azerbaijan, we are proud of the fact that our country is well known as one of the global centers for intercultural dialogue and multiculturalism. This year is very significant for us. A hundred years ago, the Azerbaijani people laid the foundation of the first parliamentary democratic republic in the Muslim world. Unfortunately, it existed only 23 months. However, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic adopted a number of important decisions, including the one on granting a right of voting to women. Today in modern Azerbaijan, we preserve the traditions of statehood, democracy and equality of rights. In modern Azerbaijan our women are very active in various spheres of our life. They are active in political, economic and social spheres. Despite the difficulties that we faced after the restoration of independence, Azerbaijan managed to ensure its rapid development. We took the most important steps in the political, economic and social spheres. Today, Azerbaijan is implementing many large-scale projects in the spheres of infrastructure, energy and transport. These projects are significant not only for the region, but also for Europe. Azerbaijan is located at the junction of civilizations of the East and West, and Azerbaijan is also one of the few countries that is a member of both the Council of Europe and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Dear friends, today, unfortunately, at a time when we are witnessing numerous conflicts, wars, death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people around the world, it is very important to demonstrate that the path to peace and prosperity lies through dialogue and mutual respect. That's why Azerbaijan is so committed to creating an international platform for mutual understanding and dialogue. I would like once again, to express gratitude to all of you for your active role in the humanitarian sphere and charity activities. I am fully confident that kindness and generosity can make our world even better. I believe that humanism, charity and love make our life happier. I once again express my deep gratitude to you. I am very glad to welcome all of you. Once again I extend congratulations on the occasion of Novruz holiday. Once again I would like to wish each of you and your families happiness and I hope that you will enjoy our meeting, Azerbaijani cuisine and beautiful Azerbaijani music. Welcome. Happy Novruz!

During the meeting, spouse of the Ambassador of the State of Palestine Rohayu Binti Kutep, speaking on behalf of the spouses of heads of diplomatic missions in Baku, noted that it is a great honor for them to have an opportunity to congratulate First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva on Novruz holiday. Highly appreciating the initiative of Mehriban Aliyeva to meet with the spouses of heads of diplomatic missions, Kutep stressed that Novruz holiday calls people for peace and solidarity. Embodying friendship, this holiday calls for supporting those who need help.

Sharing her thoughts about Azerbaijan, the spouse of the Ambassador of the State of Palestine noted that Azerbaijan is a young modern state. She said that Azerbaijan is not only a country that is oriented to the future, it also preserves its thousand-year history, rich heritage and culture. Kutep highly appreciated the prevailing tolerance in Azerbaijan and stressed that representatives of different religions and nationalities coexist here in peace. The spouse of the Ambassador of the State of Palestine wished peace, prosperity and development to the friendly people of Azerbaijan and once again extended her congratulations on the occasion of Novruz holiday.

In conclusion, First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva once again spoke about cooperation, including, relations in the humanitarian sphere and said:

- I am sure that we have a great potential for establishing stronger cooperation, in particular, in the humanitarian sphere. Because I am informed about your charitable activities. I always support it. As I have already said, I really believe that this is such a sphere, such activity, which can change a lot and help solve many problems. I am always ready to support your activities in the humanitarian sphere, in the field of charity. I am always very glad to see you, to meet with you. I extend my congratulations, best wishes on the occasion of Novruz holiday. I wish you great happiness and love. Goodbye.

A memory photo was taken at the end of the meeting.

Spouses of heads of diplomatic missions received holiday gifts.