on 20th of November 2009 there was held an opening ceremony of new settlement established in Gonranboy region for internally displaced families from Kelbejer region.

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Mətbuat xidmətinin məlumatı 20 November, 2009

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev took part in the ceremony. Internally displaced people, folk singers and artists gathered for the ceremony warmly greeted the head of our state with pleasant music. It was emphasized that, the improvement of life conditions of our citizens who were exiled from their native motherlands by way of feat and became internally displaced persons in the result of military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, is always in the center of attention of the state. Up today in our country there were established 62 IDP settlements consisting of 18,121 houses, 82 thousand refugees and internally displaced persons were moved to those settlements. Thus, IDP tent camps were eliminated. The new settlement constructed nearby the Veyisli village of Gonranboy region is also an important step in improvement of life conditions of internally displaced people from Kelbejer. In the past the national leader Heydar Aliyev also participated in the opening ceremony of the settlement established for internally displaced persons in Ashagi Agjakend village during his trip to Goranboy. The head of the State was informed that, 596 internally displaced families from Kelbejer will be settled in the new settlement. The settlement was constructed in accordance with the “State Program on the improvement of refugees and internally displaced people’s life conditions and increasing their employment” approved by the Decree of President Ilham Aliyev signed in 2004. The construction of the settlement started in June of 2009 upon the request from Internally Displaced Person’s Social Development Foundation. In short period of time there was allocated 120 hectares of land for the construction of the settlement. The total area of the houses is 30.800 sq. m and living area is over 19.445 sq. m. 89 houses are one-roomed, 275 houses are two-roomed, 200 houses are tree-roomed, and 32 houses are four-roomed. All necessary infrastructures were established in the settlement. These include kindergarten, ambulatory, club- community center, post office building and other administrative buildings. There was constructed independent electricity station and all the houses are supplied with natural gas. President Ilham Aliyev reviewed the houses built in the settlement. Also the head of the state took part in the opening ceremony of the general secondary school with 360 student capacity constructed in the settlement. All kind of facilities and conditions necessary for student’s education were provided here. There school was supplied with necessary equipment and inventory; all the classrooms were provided with visual aids. All conditions were provided for the physical training of students at the school gymnasium. Modern computers were installed and connected to the internet in the computer class. The memory of heroes from Kelbjer fallen for the independence and territorial integrity of our nation is hold in reverence in the school, and the growing generation is told about their bravery. The President visited the house of Natig Bayramov settled there. Ilham Aliyev: “How do you like the house? Is it good?” The host and hostess: “It is very good, thank you very much, we are very much pleased with it, we are grateful to you.” Ilham Aliyev: “Is it a three-room apartment?” The host and hostess: “Yes, it is.” Ilham Aliyev: “In the April of 1993 Kalbajar was occupied. Are you here since?” The host and hostess: “Yes, we are.” Ilham Aliyev: “A new settlement has been built for you here. Now there is not a single tent camp in the republic, all of them have been liquidated. In the next stage we shall move to new houses the people who live in the buildings unfit for living. There are people who live in hostels, in the buildings of schools, in public buildings, in the territory of military units in intolerable conditions. Therefore, we try and shall try to make you live in normal conditions, though it will be temporary. This is a temporary residential area. After the liberation of Kalbajar we shall build there such beautiful houses. This injustice cannot continue long. How long will the violation of the norms of the international law continue? Now we are displaying goodwill, make compromises by taking part in the negotiations for 15 years, perhaps even more. Simply the war was not waged within these 15 years. In these days when I met the internally displaced persons in Baku, I said that the Minsk Group was instituted in 1992. It was very positive that the world community was disclosing its position. The Minsk Group was set up in order to settle the conflict, to liberate our lands from occupation. That was the purpose of the Minsk Group. It was not set up to create a second Armenian state in NagornoKarabakh, ancestral Azerbaijani lands. Up to that time and in the years which followed all the resolutions adopted on this conflict the position of Azerbaijan, the just cause of Azerbaijan have been defended and confirmed. The Security Council of the United Nations has adopted four resolutions in this regard. There is not a superior international organization in the world than the Security Council of the United Nations. It is resolutions are not fulfilled, it means that either the Security Council is not influential, or the norms of the international law do not work at all. If it is like that, then everyone must seek a remedy for his own disease, for the solution of his conflict. If the international law does not work, then we are to think what we can do alone. We have not violated any law. We try to do everything within the frames of law, within the frames of the norms of international law. Then there were the summits of OSCE, which also adopted decisions, but none of them are executed. What must we do? Must we wait? How long? Why should not the Azerbaijani citizens return home? Why the residents of Kalbajar should not return to Kalbajar? It is impossible because the Armenians do not want it. Why? Have they right not to allow it? These issues had to be solved long before. We simply want to solve all of them peacefully, through negotiations. On the other hand, it is not right to reconcile with such a situation. How long shall we reconcile with it? Therefore we still try to solve the conflict peacefully. In these days I shall again meet the Armenian President. Sometimes these meetings are successful. Sometimes the Armenian side tries to prolong the time. I can say that our last meetings did not produce any result, because the Armenian side demonstrates a non-constructive position. What is its reason? Perhaps the warmth in their relations with Turkey inspired them a little. It created a wrong opinion in them that Turkey will open its borders for them and the problem of NagornoKarabakh will be ignored. But the current processes show that such a thing will not take place. The decisive position of Azerbaijan, the decisive position of Turkey, the statements of the administration of Turkey and their promise to us show that that the Turkish-Armenian relations cannot be normalized without the solution of NagornoKarabakh conflict. Therefore the Armenian side must comprehend it. At present probably each week an important event is taking place everywhere in Azerbaijan. For instance, yesterday a new, modern power station with a capacity of 525 megawatts and costing 300 million € was put into operation. Yesterday the Yevlakh-Ujar highway was put to exploitation, it also demanded big finances. At the beginning of this week six nine-storey buildings built for the internally displaced persons were put to maintenance, it also demanded very big finances. Today we are opening here this settlement. That is, each week, each day some happy, gladdening event is taking place in Azerbaijan. But what is there in Armenia? There is nothing there. I mean the economy; it is in the state of paralysis. Therefore our economic, diplomatic successes, strengthening of the military potential, civic solidarity in Azerbaijan, all this factors strengthen our position. All is true, but we need the result. We want them leave our territory on their own will. Then peace will be established. Then nobody will say why Azerbaijan is strengthening its military potential. Sometimes some international organizations say that Azerbaijan is engaged in arms race. It is not anyone’s affair. We buy weapons not on the account of others. We buy them on our own finances, on our own potentials. What must we do? We live in the situation which makes us think seriously and take necessary steps in the necessary time. We must solve the conflict once and for ever. I have been taking part in the negotiations already for six years. What have we begun the negotiations with and what have we achieved as a result? Now I can say that the first variant, with which Armenia agreed, was the withdrawal of the troops and liberation of four districts. These districts are located in the river valleys and along the railway lines. The rest of the districts had to remain under occupation up to an unknown time, at the disposal of the occupants. In the first stage the subject of negotiations was the liberation of five districts, then the sixth one, Kalbajar, then Lachin. But it is not the complete solution of the conflict. We want our citizens to return to NagornoKarabakh, to Shusha and live there. Shusha is our historical town. If all this said does not take place, the conflict will not be solved once and for ever. Then we must also solve the problem in a way not to leave reasons for the beginning of other undesirable incidents. If the obtained agreement does not satisfy us completely, willy-nilly the problem may again emerge in future and again there may emerge the danger of the renewal of the conflict. I tell the Armenian side all the time that they should do so that we are pleased, because if we are not pleased, if not today, if not tomorrow, in ten years the conflict may again ignite. Who has lived where, let him live there. We have lived on our own land, including in the territory of NagornoKarabakh, in Shusha, in other villages there. We must return home. The Armenians moved to Khankendi only in the 19th century, have been living there over 100 years, let them live there. We don’t say to drive them out, to conduct ethnic cleansing policy, we don’t say to them to leave their locations. No, we don’t say such a thing, though they have conducted ethnic cleansing policy against our compatriots. Who has lived where, let him live there, let them return there, only then peace may be established. In no other way there may be peace. Armenia lives in fear today. It leads to such a state that they are not able to ensure their independence. It lives in fear because it is obliged to ask for support. Who renders support free-of-charge? Nobody does. If someone renders support, he asks something instead of it. And that something is very important. It is true that our territory is under occupation. But the sovereignty of Azerbaijan does not evoke doubt in anyone. We are the owners of our own fate, though a part of our territory is still under occupation. There are countries, the territories of which are not under occupation, but others rule them, they are not the owners of their fates. I congratulate you once more for moving to such a beautiful house. I wish you to live here not long. I shall try to return you to your native lands.” Natig Bayramov: “You pay great attention to sports. In our family we also have persons who go in for sports. We promise that our son will raise the banner of Azerbaijan much higher.” Ilham Aliyev: “Our sportsmen raise the banner of Azerbaijan in Yerevan, Our anthem is sounded there. When our sportsmen took part in the competition in Yerevan, there was much talk about it here. Some people protested against it, some others thought that it was not necessary to go there. Then they appealed to me, I said that they had to go and win. It happened as I expected. Five of our sportsmen went to Yerevan and all of them returned with medals. One of the medals was gold. The national anthem of Azerbaijan was sounded in Yerevan. We bring up such brave sons.” The Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev got acquainted with the new settlement. The President was informed that 596 internally displaced families from Kajbajar will be settled there. The settlement has been built in conformity with the State Program for improving the living conditions and employment of the internally displaced persons approved by the instruction of President Ilham Aliyev signed in 2004.The construction began in the June of this year by the order of the Social Development Fund of the Internally Displaced Persons. It was constructed within the shortest time in the territory of 120 hectares allotted for this purpose. The total floor of the houses is 30 800 square meters, the useful residential floor is over 19 445 square meters. Eighty nine of the houses have one room, 275 houses have two rooms, 200 houses have three rooms and 32 of them have four rooms. All necessary infrastructures have been created in the settlement. They include kindergardens, an ambulatory, a club-community center, a post office and other administrative buildings. An individual power station has been built and all the houses have been supplied with gas in the settlement. The Azerbaijani President watched the performances of the singers and musicians, as well as those of the ashugs of Kalbajar. President Ilham Aliyev got acquainted with the map of the settlement. Then the Azerbaijani President took part in the opening of the secondary school for 360 pupils there, too. The school has all necessary conditions for the education of the children. It has been equipped with necessary inventory for their studies and all the class-rooms have been supplied with visual aids. Modern computers have been installed in the computer room with an access to internet. There is a corner in the school reminding the memory of the residents of Kalbajar who heroically became martyrs in the battles fighting for the freedom of Azerbaijan and its territorial integrity, the corner tells of their heroism to the growing generations. After getting acquainted with the school President Ilham Aliyev met the representatives of the public of Kalbajar and made a speech there: “I have come here today to be together with you in this happy day. I came to celebrate the opening of this beautiful settlement together with you. It is a very remarkable event. There are 596 houses, a very beautiful school building, a dispensary here, in one word, there are all necessary conditions for living in the settlement. I am very happy that on such a beautiful day we celebrate a new stage of your life together. Today I have already noted that it is a temporary habitation for you. I wish you soon return to your native land, I hope that it will not take long. Along with it we must try to improve the living conditions of the internally displaced persons. A lot of work and great things are being done for this purpose. The Azerbaijani government spends big sums in order to create normal living conditions for our compatriots. All the tent camps are being liquidated, it is already history. In this stage we must improve the living conditions of our compatriots who live in other places, in locations not fit for living, in public buildings, in schools and hostels. As you know, in 2004 a State Program was adopted for improving the living conditions and employment of the internally displaced persons, which is being executed at present. We may say that the Program was implemented into life completely. In 2007 we made additions to the program. The present beautiful settlement is the fruit of those additions. It is not the first settlement. Many such beautiful settlements have been built in many corners of our republic. Such settlements have been built particularly in the liberated territories of the districts of Aghdam and Fuzuli. Probably more than half of the population of these two districts has moved to those settlements. It is true that the settlements are not built in the place of their villages; nevertheless, they live in their own districts. Great construction work is being done in Baku. In the beginning of this week we took part in the opening of six nine-storey buildings in Baku. About 400 families were provided with flats in them. That is, the Azerbaijani government will continue the work conducted in this sphere and take additional measures for improving the living conditions of the people who live in hard, critical conditions. The performed work demonstrates the policy of the Azerbaijani government, on the one hand, its resources and potentials, on the other hand. The essence of that policy is that each Azerbaijani citizen must have a better, a worthy, normal life. In the recent five years the living conditions of the internally displaced persons have considerably improved. Five years ago the level of poverty among the internally displaced persons was 75 per cent, today it is 25 per cent. It is also too high. In the totals of 2008 the level of poverty in the country was 13 per cent; it is 25 per cent among the refugees and internally displaced persons. In general, there must not be poor people at all. We are for the liquidation of the poverty completely, that is what we want. The social policy of the Azerbaijani government pursues this very goal. On the other hand, the performed work demonstrates that Azerbaijan possesses sufficiently enough resources. Had it not possessed them, we would have not been able to build these beautiful settlements. We do all this on the account of our own resources, on the account of the state budget, on the account of the State Oil Fund. That is, Azerbaijan does them on the account of its own finances. Such construction works demand huge resources. But we are able to do them and shall continue them henceforth, because the living conditions of people, their level of life must be improved. The people, who have suffered from the war, occupation and ethnic cleansing policy of Armenia, must be covered with care and attention. These processes will continue in the forthcoming years. The successful development of the economy of Azerbaijan, the oil strategy of Heydar Aliyev enabled us to perform them. The State Oil Fund has taken the responsibility of this mission. We intend to continue the construction of settlements hence. But it is not the solution of the problem. The solution of the problem is the liberation of the territory of Azerbaijan from occupation. We do everything to achieve it. The process of negotiations, development of the economy, our activities in the army building strengthen Azerbaijan. We can not solve the problem of NagornoKarabakh, if we are not strong, because the international interference does not produce any result. In reality such interferences are political in nature. At the beginning of this week I noted that in some places the international forces make the occupants to retreat at once. We have seen such things in the history. But when the territory of Azerbaijan was occupied, the world community did not demonstrate such a determination. Therefore we must rely on our own power, we must be strong, solve the conflict fairly, in conformity with the national interests of Azerbaijan and the norms of the international law. I am sure that we shall achieve it. We have mobilized all our efforts in the political plane, in international organizations and in the sphere of economy. We have great successes in the sphere of army building. It leads to the birth of a new situation. We have already positive changes in the negotiations. The Armenian side must take the final step, which means that they must withdraw their troops from the occupied territories on their own will. If they do not do that, the situation in the region may aggravate. We have been living in such a situation for 20 years, reconcile with it. But we can not reconcile with it for ever, because the social welfare of the people is not good, the living conditions are very hard. By building new settlements we try to ease the situation. But you want to return home, to your native lands, so do we. You must live in Kalbajar, not here. This is a temporary habitation. But the Armenian side violates all the international norms, does not allow the original residents return home, the negotiations do not produce any result. How long must we reconcile with such a situation? In some days I shall again meet the Armenian President. We go to the meeting with our own program. This program must play the decisive role in the process of negotiations, because we had several meetings this year, but none of them produced any result. If this meeting ends in the same way, our hopes in the negotiations will be exhausted. If our hopes in the negotiations are exhausted, then there remains no other way for us. We must be ready for it, too. It is natural that our activities in the sphere of army building in the recent years are purposeful. We spend billions, strengthen our army, buy weapons, military machinery, and strengthen our positions in the contact line of the troops. We do it because we have never excluded and do not exclude this variant. We have all rights to liberate our lands by taking to arms. The norms of the international law also recognize our right. We simply want to solve the problem peacefully, not by waging a war. But if the Armenians think that we shall take part in these negotiations all the time, they are wrong. We shall take part in the negotiations as long as we do not lose hopes in them. But if we see that Armenia simply prolongs the time, tries to make the problem eternal through negotiations, then we shall end the negotiations. We have seen useless negotiations going on for 30-40 years. But such a situation will not be repeated here, because Azerbaijan and Armenia are very different from the point of view of economic might. If there was a military and economic balance between us 10-15 years ago, this balance has been violated long before. In the recent years the economy of Azerbaijan has developed so much that it can not be compared with that of Armenia. The process of army building is going on speedily. Of course, all this factors – international, political and diplomatic factors support our position. The resolutions of the international organizations, the Charter of the United Nations allow us liberate our lands by waging a war, I stress it once more that we shall liberate our own lands, no one’s else. We do not want to interfere in the territorial integrity of any country. Everybody is well aware that the present Armenia as a state has been built in the ancestral Azerbaijani territory. The khanates of Irevan, Zangazur - they all are Azerbaijani lands. In 1918 Irevan (Yerevan) was presented to Armenia.Not 100 years have past yet, but they raise claims to us. An Armenian state was established in the Azerbaijani territory, now they want to create a second one. It is incompatible with any logic, the Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijan as a state can never agree with it. NagornoKarabakh will never be independent. We shall never give our consent to it. Therefore Armenia must take serious steps in the negotiations. They must take steps, not we. What must we concede?! Have we occupied any territory and now we must concede?! We shall not concede in anything. Our compromise is the solution of the conflict peacefully, that is all. They must take steps and leave the occupied territories. Only after the return of the Azerbaijanis and Armenians NagornoKarabakh may be granted autonomy. It was the same in the past, there is such a practice in the world. There are autonomies in various countries, in the developed countries of Europe. We must apply that practice here, too. In this way the problem will find its solution. All the occupied territories must be liberated. Our compatriots must return to NagornoKarabakh, to Shusha, in the first stage. In the next stage the status of NagornoKarabakh may be solved. But we shall say what kind of status it will be. With our consent no one can determine it. As I noted, we shall never agree with the independence of NagornoKarabakh. This is our principle position. I go to negotiations with this position. I shall defend this position till I see something positive in them. But if I see that the negotiations are just an imitation, simply for creating the impression of negotiations, then I will say that we do not need such negotiations. Perhaps Armenia needs it in order to prolong the time, to show that Armenia takes part in the negotiations. Now they ask us to cooperate with them. Some international circles unaware of the situation, of the essence of the problem urge us to cooperate with Armenia. Why does not Azerbaijan want to cooperate with Armenia?! I tell them that let us occupy your lands and then cooperate. How can such cooperation be? One country has occupied the territory of another country, has left its citizens homeless, without any shelter, has conducted the policy of ethnic cleansing, then asks for cooperation. It is impossible. Therefore, we shall not hold negotiations for the sake of an imitation. Perhaps the international circles are for having the situation unchanged in order not to allow the break of hostilities again. Some people even are not interested in what conditions our citizens are living. It is not one or two years, but about 20 years. How can it be, how can one tolerate it? Some people think that it is better to leave the conflict remain frozen, only not to allow the start of the war. This status-quo can not satisfy us. Even without it we have conceded much. We have remained devoted to the peace negotiations in the past 15 years since the signature of the cease-fire agreement. But how long will it continue, how long?! Fifteen years have already passed. Are we to wait another 15 years? It is impossible. Therefore, I want to say that it is our position. I tell it in front of you, in front of the Azerbaijani people. And let all the parties engaged in the solution of this problem also know that our patience is already being exhausted. We shall make use of our potentials, of our legal opportunities. If Armenia is eager to settle the conflict peacefully, it must take serious steps soon and must liberate the occupied territories. If Armenia thinks that it will ignore the problem of NagornoKarabakh and solve other problems in the region, they are mistaken. It is impossible. NagornoKarabakh is the Number One problem of the region. Without the solution of this problem not any other problem can be solved. We shall not allow it. The potentials of Azerbaijan are growing both in the region and in the world. I want you to know all this, too. There is nothing new in what I said. It is not a novelty. I have disclosed the position of Azerbaijan on this issue not once. Today I declare them to you. You may be sure that I shall defend the position of Azerbaijan all the time, I shall defend the just cause of Azerbaijan all the time and we shall achieve what we want. I congratulate you once more. Thank you.” Shabnam Guliyeva, an internally displaced teacher from the District of Kalbajar, thanked the Azerbaijani President for his care and attention to the refugees and internally displaced persons and said: “Mr. President! We express our deep gratitude to you for coming to meet us in the new settlement built for the residents of Kalbajar. We have been living in the Finnish-type settlement for 14 years in very intolerable conditions. We were waiting for the arrival of this day very impatiently. Our great leader Heydar Aliyev and you created the sense of trust, the sense of confidence in us. With your instruction all the tent camps have been liquidated and new settlements have been built instead of them. They meet the modern standards and have all necessary infrastructures. It is the result of the highest development of Azerbaijan. You continue successfully the works conducted by our great leader, the policy begun by him. Mr. President! You love your nation, your country. You are together with the nation in its grief and in its happy days. We express our gratitude to you for being together with us on the eve of the holy day of Sacrifice, for sharing with us our joy, we feel very happy. Mr. President! You work day and night for the sake of our country and people. We thank you once more for finding time and coming to meet us. Mr. President! Today Azerbaijan has become a leader country. The world countries have turned their eyes towards Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is competing with the leading world countries. Even our enemy, our treacherous Armenian neighbors envy us. Mr. President! Today the first lady of our country Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva does a lot for the protection of our national-spiritual values. We, all the Azerbaijani women, are proud of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva and express our gratitude to her. Mr. President! May the prayers on the eve of this holy Sacrifice day, the desires in the hearts of people turn true. May the prayers of all the Azerbaijani people help you in the achievement of goals facing you!” The internally displaced residents: “Amen! Mr. President, we pray for you to be victorious in the battle-field of politics as you are now. Mr. President! Our great leader Heydar Aliyev said in his meeting with the residents of Kalbajar in the April of 1996: “Kalbajar will return to its most beautiful days of the past and in future will be more beautiful than before.” We shall liberate our lands from the trample of the enemy peacefully due to your purposeful, farsighted and decisive policy and return to our Kalbajar, which is rich in natural resources, to the homeland of Shamshir, our great ashug, and meet you there as a victorious commander. Mr. President, your speech in the opening ceremony of the new residential complex built for the internally displaced persons inspired us once more. We became sure that we shall return to our native district, to our homes, and our assurance is becoming stronger with each passing day. Mr. President, the residents of Kalbajar have always been devoted to the country, to their state, today they are devoted to you as well. We recognize only you and our state, which is Azerbaijan. We shall return home with your help. Mr. President, we congratulate you, the members of your family on the occasion of the holy day of Sacrifice and also your grandsons who will celebrate this holiday for the first time. We wish them good health, grow and become honorary sons of our Azerbaijan. We love you very much. Our President Ilham Aliyev, we support you!” President Ilham Aliyev congratulated the internally displaced persons on the occasion of the coming holiday of Sacrifice and said: “I congratulate you on the occasion of the coming holiday of Sacrifice; wish you good health and happiness. Thank you.”