Baku, March 21, AZERTAC
“Today we are free. The Azerbaijani people are masters of their own destiny. The present-day realities show that our people can reach the highest peaks only being independent. If we look at our history, we can see that the current period is a period of the most rapid development. We will continue to protect our independence. We will provide a good life for our people. However, it is also natural that the stronger Azerbaijan gets, the more pressure it comes under. Our independent policy is not to everyone’s liking though. Therefore, the pressure on us increases and various mechanisms are engaged,” President Ilham Aliyev has said.
“As a result, some foreign circles are waging an overt campaign against Azerbaijan. We are ready for it. This campaign, in fact, has never been stopped, but in the run-up to important international events this campaign becomes even uglier. We were faced with it three years ago in 2012, on the eve of the "Eurovision" contest. We are seeing it today, on the eve of the first European Games. This is a well-concerted anti-Azerbaijani campaign managed from one or several centers.”
“It aims to tarnish and belittle our country, cast a shadow over our achievements and portray Azerbaijan as a backward, undemocratic and oppressed country. All this, of course, is built on lies. Therefore, neither the people of Azerbaijan nor the world community believes in this. The Azerbaijani people see everything with their own eyes,” the head of state added.