Secretary General of GUAM congratulated the President of Azerbaijan

GUAM Secretary General Altai Efendiev sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

As AZERTAJ reports, the message states:

"Your Excellency.

On behalf of the International Secretariat of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development - GUAM and on my own behalf, I extend to you and through you to the people of Azerbaijan my most sincere congratulations on the occasion of May 28 - Independence Day.

Marking the 107th anniversary of the establishment of the Democratic Republic, the modern Republic of Azerbaijan, remaining faithful to its ideals, has brought to life the dreams of all Azerbaijanis about independence, sovereignty, progress, preservation of national identity and has proven to be its rightful successor.

After regaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan faced very serious problems. The Azerbaijani people faced such difficulties as ethnic conflicts, separatist movements, coup attempts, occupation of one-fifth of its lands, more than a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons. The fate and future of the people were under threat. It was the strong political will, decisive leadership, wisdom, strategic foresight of national leader Heydar Aliyev and his support by the people that made it possible to overcome all these difficulties and revive the country.

Mr. President, over the past two decades, Azerbaijan under your leadership has achieved significant successes. In particular, over the past five years, great victories have been won, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country within its internationally recognized borders have been fully restored. Today, the Azerbaijani people are stronger than ever, proud and looking forward to a bright future with faith. Unprecedented construction and restoration work is being successfully carried out throughout the country, including in the liberated territories. Azerbaijan, with its dynamically developing economy, plays the role of an engine of regional development and international cooperation, putting forward and implementing important projects and initiatives.

Becoming an increasingly important regional and international actor, Azerbaijan, whose authority in the world is growing, is an advocate of peace, security and dialogue, playing a leading role in the Non-Aligned Movement, COP and other similar international organizations and platforms. In the context of the current crisis in the system of international relations and violations of international law, Azerbaijan, playing an exemplary role, advocates for a just peace based on the norms and principles of peaceful coexistence of large and small nations.

We highly appreciate the role of Azerbaijan as one of the founders of GUAM, which attaches importance to a pragmatic, practical and result-oriented approach in building regional cooperation between our friendly peoples and strategic partners. We firmly believe that GUAM is a unique and effective regional platform for promoting peace, security and cooperation. We count on further strengthening our mutually beneficial cooperation in this region, whose strategic importance is increasing.

Your Excellency, on the occasion of this holiday, we wish you success in your activities aimed at further development of the country, strengthening its independence and sovereignty, and to the people of Azerbaijan - peace, progress and prosperity".