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but also for Azerbaijani independence our country's sustainable development development of new technologies, in
in general. in the years since independence -- an particular the ICT sector, has become a
indicator of the respect Azerbaijan has hallmark of Azerbaijan today and will
We have tripled the size and diversified earned globally and recognition of our facilitate our successful development
our economy, created a modern social contribution to global security. Despite in the future.
and economic infrastructure, while the fact that Azerbaijan will have com-
securing the dynamic development of pleted its membership of the UNSC in In addition to that, the decision of
the non-oil sector. In 2003, our state December 2013, these two years have the European Olympic Committee to
budget was US$1.5 billion, while in been an outstanding experience for conduct the inaugural 2015 European
2013 we have increased it to US$ 25 bil- Azerbaijani diplomacy. Olympic Games in Azerbaijan is not
lion. During the last decade Azerbaijan only a historic achievement and a huge
has made tangible progress in terms In 2012 Azerbaijan started the process success for our country; it is also evi-
of the Millennium Development Goals of paying compensation for the depo- dence of Azerbaijan's growing inter-
through reducing poverty from 49% sits left in the Soviet savings bank. It national authority and recognition of
to less than 6% of the population and is worth mentioning that Azerbai- our extensive infrastructure on the
creating more than 1 million new jobs, jan is the only country of the former part of the international community.
at the same time as tripling its GDP USSR to repay these deposits in such
so as to be ranked thirty-ninth among a short period of time and with a high Q. Your Mission is very active wi-
148 countries in the Global Competi- interest rate. thin international Geneva. What
tiveness Index 2013-2014 issued by the are your main centres of inte-
World Economic Forum. Azerbaijan is Azerbaijan has also won Europe's top rest?
currently the leading country of our music competition, the "Eurovision"
region from the standpoint of its eco- song contest in 2011, while in the fol- Every year we take part in numerous
nomic potential, accounting for more lowing year we successfully hosted this sessions and meetings of the inter-
than 80% of the economy in the South competition in Baku, thus demonstra- national organizations based in
Caucasus region. The world's leading ting our great potential to the world for Geneva and, when necessary, provide
economic and financial institutions holding this type of event. our views and inputs to them. In that
are currently giving a positive assess- regard, I would like particularly to
ment of Azerbaijan's successes, ran- On 8 February 2013 Azerbaijan mention the Human Rights Council
king the country in leading positions in launched its first artificial telecom- and the Office of the High Commissio-
major international reports. While the munications satellite into orbit. This ner for Human Rights. Azerbaijan was
world's leading rating agencies, such was a very significant day -- a historic one of the founding members of the
as Fitch, Moody's and
Standard and Poor's,
have downgraded the
credit ratings of many
developed countries,
our rating has been
upgraded. Azerbaijan
has advanced into the
category of countries
with "high human
development" in a
report by the United
Nations Development
Programme. The "Glo-
bal Competitiveness
Report 2012-2013" of
the World Economic
Forum rates Azer-
baijan as forty-sixth
country in the world
and first in the CIS.

The list of our recent
achievements is quite
extensive. It is noteworthy to mention day -- and a major achievement for Human Rights Council. Within that
that, in 2011, Azerbaijan was elec- our country. The results we have body we present our own initiatives
ted as a non-permanent member of achieved show that Azerbaijan is in- and also support others through co-
the United Nations Security Council deed developing rapidly and compre- sponsoring the resolutions of interest.
(UNSC) for the first time in its his- hensively today and that we are already In this body, we pay special attention
tory in the face of tough competition. a member of the "space club". Two to the protection of cultural rights
In May 2012 and in October 2013, our more satellites will be launched in 2015 and property, the promotion of inter-
country presided over that very orga- and 2016, which will create excellent religious and inter-cultural tolerance
nization. I think that this is the out- opportunities for the development of and understating, and the protection
come of an international assessment of the space industry in Azerbaijan. The of internally displaced persons.

International 17