President Aliyev highlights security, unity and peace in New Year address

President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan ended 2025 as a year of peace, security and stability, stressing that unity between the people and the government remained the main factor behind the country’s achievements.

In his address to the nation on the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis and the New Year, Aliyev said he was confident that 2026 would also be successful and that all state tasks would be fulfilled as planned.

The president marked the fifth anniversary of Azerbaijan’s victory in the Patriotic War, saying the outcome permanently ended 30 years of Armenian occupation and restored the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and national dignity. He said the victory would remain forever and that the Azerbaijani people would always take pride in it.

Aliyev said the Armed Forces have significantly strengthened their capabilities over the past five years, citing new weapons, modern equipment, expanded special forces and the creation of commando units consisting of thousands of soldiers and officers. He said the army is now capable of carrying out any assigned task.

The president said Azerbaijan is not preparing for a new war and that wars are in the past for the country. However, he warned that global conditions require vigilance, saying international law no longer functions effectively and that many countries now operate under the principle that “whoever is strong is right.” He pointed to a global arms race and said Azerbaijan must always be ready to defend its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independent choices.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan consolidated its military victory on the international and political stage, adding that the world now recognises the outcome of the Patriotic War. He said the OSCE Minsk Group, mandated to resolve the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict, has been consigned to history and that the Karabakh issue has been removed from the international agenda.

As a victorious country, Aliyev said Azerbaijan extended a hand of peace to Armenia, describing this as a manifestation of far-sighted policy. He said Baku has no territorial claims against other states and acted within the framework of the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions to restore its sovereignty.

The president said the peace agreement initialled with Armenia five years after the war demonstrated the wisdom of Azerbaijan’s policy. He added that the country has lived in de facto peace conditions for nearly five years and said the victory was sealed internationally, including in the presence of the U.S. president at the White House.

Ilham Aliyev said large-scale reconstruction and development works are now underway across the country, including in the formerly occupied territories. He said Azerbaijan’s international standing has strengthened and that leading global actors have put forward proposals for cooperation.

Turning to foreign policy, Aliyev described Azerbaijan’s approach as multi-vector. He highlighted the country’s accession to the D-8 organisation as its first new member in nearly three decades and Azerbaijan’s election as a full member of the Central Asian consultative framework, calling both developments signs of international trust.

The president also noted that Azerbaijan hosted a number of major international events in 2025, including the ECO summit in the liberated city of Khankendi and the summit of the Organisation of Turkic States in Gabala.

On the economy, Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s foreign currency reserves exceeded 80 billion dollars, reaching a historic record, while external debt declined to 6.3 percent of GDP. He said international rating agencies upgraded Azerbaijan’s credit rating to investment grade with a positive outlook.

Aliyev said the “Great Return” programme continues, with nearly 70,000 people now living, working and studying in 32 towns, villages and cities in the liberated territories.

Marking the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis, the president said Azerbaijanis worldwide should know that a strong Azerbaijani state stands behind them, regardless of where they live. He said events in 2025 once again showed that the fate of every Azerbaijani is important to the state and that Azerbaijanis are united by shared history, language, roots and culture.

He concluded by wishing peace, stability and happiness to Azerbaijanis and citizens of Azerbaijan around the world.

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