A festive ceremony, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan took place today in Moscow. This holiday is celebrated on May 28, the day of the proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918.
‘Vestnik Kavkaza’ correspondents visited the event and interviewed the guests who participated in the ceremony: Azerbaijani Ambassador Polad Bulbuloglu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov, the rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichy, Vice-President of the Russian international Affairs Council (RIAC) and former President of North Ossetia Alexander Dzasokhov.
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Azerbaijan in Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, said that the Independence Day is a very significant holiday for all people in the world.
"It turned out that the first period of the democratic and independent Republic of Azerbaijan lasted only 23 months. In the 90’s after the collapse of the Soviet Union we restored the continuity of the First Republic, which was established in 1918. That is why today we celebrate the 98th anniversary,’’ the ambassador said.
"In fact, huge work has been done during the 23 months that laid the foundations of the today's statehood. And when Azerbaijan became independent in the XX century we overcame difficult times because of the foreign aggression that forced million people to become refugees in their homeland. Certainly, the outstanding leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev managed to unite the people and the country in 1993 and put an end to the crisis. Therefore, we consider that the architect of today's Azerbaijan is an outstanding politician and political leader Heydar Aliyev,’’ Poload Bulbuloglu said.
"And today under Ilham Aliyev's leadership, the republic has achieved great success. Our GDP has been higher than in many other countries. Even in times of crisis and in times of trouble we showed sustainable development and economic growth. Today Azerbaijan's economy and especially its non-oil sector is being developed. It is the key to our future success," the diplomat noted.
"I think that all Azerbaijan’s friends share the joy today and are happy to congratulate the people of Azerbaijan, its neighbors and friends on this important occasion. We have reasons to be satisfied with the rhythm of how the bilateral relations develop between Russia and Azerbaijan,’’ Grigory Karasin noted.
The rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichy, noted that a lot of things bring together Russian scientists and the scientists of the Moscow State University with their counterparts in Azerbaijan.
"We have historical roots. For example, I believe that the School of Mathematics in Azerbaijan, established in the 70-80s is just as professional as the Moscow School of Mathematics. I want to point out the cooperation among chemists, biologists, physicists, engineers, especially in the field of oil extraction. Unfortunately, our ties weakened during those difficult years, but the leadership of Azerbaijan opened the MSU branch in Baku and gave a new impetus [to the cooperation]. It is one of the strongest branches of the Moscow State University, where future best Azerbaijani scientists receive education.''
"Certainly, it is not the only area of our cooperation. […] Baku hosts many wonderful forums,'' the rector of the Moscow State University said.
"We have not just good neighborly relations, but we enjoy fraternal relations. Moreover, we are allies that cooperate on the international arena. And I can confirm that hundreds of thousands sons and daughters of Azerbaijan are involved in truly creative work in the Russian Federation,’’ Vice-President of the Russian international Affairs Council (RIAC) Alexander Dzasokhov said.
"I congratulate the people of Azerbaijan with the holiday. The entire republic and the authorities are highly respected here in our country and we hope that our relations will stay that way!’’ the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky said.
