As part of the state visit of the President of Azerbaijan, a street and square named after Heydar Aliyev with a bas-relief in his honor have been unveiled in Tashkent.
The ceremony was attended by the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has warmly welcomed the guests and expressed his respect to the brotherly people of Azerbaijan.
«There is a deep meaning that the state visit of President Ilham Aliyev to Uzbekistan has begun with a solemn opening ceremony of the street named after the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, a great friend of the Uzbek people Heydar Aliyev.
He went in history as an outstanding political and state figure of the 20th century, the architect of an independent Azerbaijan. A firm determination, strong political will and exceptional leadership qualities of Heydar Aliyev helped to the young sovereign state to overcome with dignity all the difficulties and trials», the President of Uzbekistan has said.
The President of Uzbekistan has emphasized the immense contribution of Azerbaijan’s national leader to the consistent strengthening of friendly relations between the two states as well as the historical ties between the two brotherly people.
For his part, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, noting that this has been his first foreign visit after the pandemic, expressed gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan and the people of Uzbekistan for their constant care and attention for preserving the good memory of Heydar Aliyev.
«I am very grateful to my distinguished brother Shavkat Miromonovich for taking the initiative to establish such a beautiful place in the heart of Tashkent dedicated to the memory of Heydar Aliyev, my father. We see in this the truly brotherly attitude of our Uzbek brothers towards our great leader, our common history. This is also respect for the entire Azerbaijani people», the President of Azerbaijan has said.
The intellectuals, the elderly and the Azerbaijani diaspora in Uzbekistan also spoke at the ceremony. They have stressed that the well-maintained street and square named after Heydar Aliyev are a vivid symbol of a strong and solid friendship between the two brotherly people.
About 40 thousand Azerbaijanis live in Uzbekistan. In 2003, the Association of Azerbaijani Cultural Centers was established. In 2010, a new building of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center named after Heydar Aliyev was established at the Azerbaijani Embassy.
Then the President of Azerbaijan, accompanied by the President of Uzbekistan, visited the «Yangi Uzbekistan» (‘A New Uzbekistan’) park and had laid the flowers at an Independence Monument.