BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 16. In his speech after the inauguration ceremony, President Ilham Aliyev announced Azerbaijan's roadmap for the new period and emphasized the priorities of the country's domestic and foreign policy, dean of UNEC's Faculty of Turkic World Economy and professor at Uludag University, Mehmet Yuce told Trend.
"After the 44-day II Karabakh War and 23-hour and local anti-terrorist measures, a new period has started for Azerbaijan. This period continued with the extraordinary presidential election on February 7.
President Ilham Aliyev's vote in Khankendi, which Armenian separatists once declared the capital of their administration, became a symbol of a new era and a message to the whole world. At the new stage we are talking about Azerbaijan, which has ensured its territorial integrity, fully restored its sovereignty, implemented its Constitution throughout its territory, become a leading state in the region, acting as a locomotive in the Organization of Turkic States, supporting right-wing causes of countries in good dialogue with Islamic countries, unjustly offended by the colonization of Western countries, defended itself and striving for reforms in all spheres," he noted.
According to him, the Turkic world will be the most important priority in Azerbaijan's foreign policy in the new period.
"In fact, there is a natural unity between the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States and Azerbaijan in terms of history, culture, geography, and creation of socio-economic power. At the same time, this integrity is a formula that will counterbalance other forces that have their own interest in the South Caucasus, especially France, which wants provocations in the region," Yuce emphasized.
He also mentioned that Azerbaijan, along with its leading role in the OTC, its active role in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement, and its growing prestige in the international arena, also provides strong support in the fight against neo-colonialism to countries and societies that France considers its backyard.
"We can say that this initiative of Azerbaijan is an important means of combating French imperialism, which includes elements of Turkophobia, Islamophobia, and neocolonialism.
Thus, the February 7 election is the beginning of a new era for Azerbaijan. In this period Azerbaijan will be stronger than in all previous ones," he added.
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