Headline changed, details added (first version posted on 09:49)
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 9
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
The international community hasn’t so far taken effective measures to stop the Armenian aggression, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in his letter to the participants of the Baku Summit of the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE).
"I congratulate you on the kick-off of the next summit of the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe. The alliance, which unites various political parties of Europe on a single platform, has in a relatively short time turned into a reputable organization that plays an important role in the socio-political life of the continent,” said the president.
“I stress with a sense of satisfaction that such fundamental values as national sovereignty, parliamentary democracy and free society have an important place in the modern life of the Azerbaijani people, who have preserved rich historical traditions.”
"It is noteworthy that today's summit coincided with the period when the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first parliamentary republic in the Muslim world, where women were granted the voting right before in most of the Western states, is widely celebrated," said the head of state.
“As the legal successor of the Democratic Republic, Azerbaijan took the path of market economy, democracy, rule of law and secular state-building in the years of independence, established relations based on mutually beneficial cooperation with individual countries, becoming an equal member of the world community," President Aliyev said in his letter.
President Aliyev noted that transnational gas and transportation projects that are being implemented on Azerbaijan’s initiative and with its active participation make a significant contribution to ensuring Europe’s energy security and sustainable social and economic development of the countries in the region.
"The launch of the Southern Gas Corridor, which was officially opened on May 29, will create new opportunities for further increasing the success achieved in this sphere," he said.
The head of state went on to add that Azerbaijan attaches special importance to international humanitarian cooperation.
“It diligently supports intercultural dialogue, the ideas of multiculturalism and tolerance, helps to solve global problems to the best of its ability. But I should note with regret that the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that began 30 years ago continues to be the most serious obstacle both to the country’s development and the expansion of regional cooperation,” said President Aliyev.