On October 21, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States Baghdad Amreyev, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported.

Welcoming Baghdad Amreyev, President Ilham Aliyev said: "Dear Baghdad Kultayevich, taking the opportunity of your being on a visit to Azerbaijan, I have invited you, first of all, to express my gratitude for the years of service as General Secretary of our organization and also to present to you the high order of Azerbaijan – the Order of Dostlug. This is a well-deserved award. You, as Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, have played and continue to play an important part in strengthening our unity."

"You know that I have always been very attentive to cooperation within our organization and in a bilateral format. The strengthening of ties and fraternal relations with countries of the Turkic world are among key foreign policy priorities for Azerbaijan. It is no coincidence that even we look at the latest chronology of my visits and the visits of the heads of state of fraternal countries, you can see that we are giving additional dynamism," he added.

Aliyev added: "The relations with all Turkic-speaking countries are a priority for us. I am sure the upcoming summit in Samarkand will confirm our unity. We must rally even closer around common interests, especially in the current geopolitical situation, proceeding from the need for mutual support for the strengthening of independence and sovereignty of our states and to fill our cooperation with specific content. In this case, in addition to political interaction, I think one of the important areas in the coming years will be cooperation in the field of strengthening security measures. Since the world is changing and has already changed, new threats and new challenges are already knocking at the door. Therefore, along with economic cooperation, cooperation in transport, humanitarian and other areas will be one of the priorities. For my part, I want to say that Azerbaijan will continue to do everything to strengthen the unity of the Turkic world. This is a great heritage of our ancestors. Unfortunately, the Turkic world has been fragmented over various stages of history. There are still issues that require our attention and a well-concerted policy. Within the framework of national states, the states of the Turkic world are already united."

Aliyev underlined: "There are many more Azerbaijanis living outside Azerbaijan than in the country alone. Of course, their security, their rights, and well-being are of the utmost importance to us. We will continue to do everything to help the Azerbaijanis who have found themselves cut off from our state, to assist them in their development so that they preserve the Azerbaijani language, Azerbaijani traditions, Azerbaijani culture, remain true to the principles of Azerbaijanism and never cut off ties with their historical homeland, just as many representatives of other peoples of our fraternal Turkic states live outside their states. But I also know that all leaders of the Turkic states attach great importance to how the rights of their brothers are secured in various countries."

Azerbaijanis are Iran’s most significant ethnic minority, numbering at least 12 million. According to some estimates, up to 20-30 million live in Iran - almost one-quarter of the population. Reportedly, Azerbaijanis have faced political and cultural discrimination. The US State Department reported that the government prohibited Azerbaijanis from speaking their language in schools, harassed Azerbaijani activists, and changed Azerbaijani town names.

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