Ilham Aliyev congratulates Azerbaijani oil workers on 70th anniversary of Oil Rocks

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a message of congratulations to Azerbaijani oil workers on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Oil Rocks, according to the presidential press service.

"On 7 November 1949, the first oil gusher was achieved in Baku, on Oil Rocks, and offshore oil production began for the first time in the world, which was an important event in the development of the oil industry. It is thanks to the selfless work of Azerbaijani oil workers that the idea of the possibility of offshore oil production was realized, ushering an era of offshore development of fields. At the same time, this promoted specialists of the oil industry of Azerbaijan to the most advanced positions. The exploration of the unique Oil Rocks deposit gave a powerful impetus to similar work in many other seas. Currently, offshore production accounts for the bulk of global hydrocarbon production, as the process of conquering sea depths continues. We are proud that our legendary Oil Rocks are the source of these processes," the letter reads.

"The experience gained on Oil Rocks, which are of exceptional importance for the history of the oil industry of our country, has created favorable conditions for accelerating prospecting and exploration activities in deeper parts of the Caspian. The work carried out in the 1970s under the wise guidance of national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev in the field of modernization of the oil industry quickly paved the way for the exploration and operation of new fields. The great leader regarded Oil Rocks as the national embodiment of the engineering ideas of scientists and specialists of our republic, their scientific and technical culture, and emphasized that the foundations of the successful oil strategy of our independent state were laid specifically on Oil Rocks. Energy projects of regional and global scale are being successfully implemented today on the initiative and under the leadership of Azerbaijan,"  Ilham Aliyev noted. 

"Over this period, Oil Rocks have covered a long road and turned into a production 'city' with modern infrastructure on stilts. Today, Oil Rocks are undergoing a new stage of development. I am sure that the ample reserves of Oil Rocks will continue to serve the strengthening of the country's economic potential for many years and further improve the living standards of our people. I wish you all success on this path," the head of state concluded.