Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Ilham Aliyev, who won the October 9 presidential elections in Azerbaijan with an overwhelming majority of votes, has received congratulation from U.S. President Barack Obama.

In his congratulatory letter Obama hailed the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

"I look forward to continuing our conversation about important issues in our strategic partnership. Our bilateral relationship, now more than two decades old, has made significant contributions to regional stability. We have welcomed Azerbaijan`s impressive economic and social progress in this period, and we remain committed to strengthening our partnership and deepening cooperation on our common challenges," the letter reads.

President Obama also noted that the United States and Azerbaijan cooperate closely on a wide range of issues both bilaterally and, recently, in the United Nations Security Council.

"We appreciate your partnership in Afghanistan and our cooperation to combat terrorism. We stand ready to work with you to seize the historic opportunity to find a peaceful, negotiated resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and we welcome the decision you and President Sargsyan have made to meet later this month," the letter reads.

The president also stated that the United States remains committed to supporting development of the Southern Energy Corridor, bolstering reforms to advance economic diversification, and strengthening regional stability and security.

He said the United States hopes that Azerbaijan will strengthen the democratic processes that are so important to ensure the country's long-term stability and prosperity to achieve the full potential of cooperation and partnership.

"As we noted following the election, we encourage Azerbaijan to take steps to deepen respect for the universal freedoms of association, assembly, and expression; to promote political pluralism and judicial independence; and to strengthen the electoral system. Our partnership with Azerbaijan itself will continue to grow ever stronger for these efforts," the letter reads.

Obama expressed confidence for continued close cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan and wished President Aliyev and the Azerbaijani people peace and success following the twenty-second anniversary of the restoration of independence.

Ilham Aliyev, the incumbent president nominated by the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, won the elections with over 84 percent of the popular vote.

Political stability and high economic growth maintained in Azerbaijan during his presidency in 2003-2013 are regarded as the major reason for his decisive victory.

The country's economy has grown 3.4-fold in the last decade, while the level of poverty reduced approximately 10 times. This is the result of serious economic and social policy carried out in the country during Ilham Aliyev's presidency. This policy helped Azerbaijan considerably strengthen its economic potential in the past 10 years.

According to ratings of the leading international organizations, Azerbaijan has been developing even at a time the rest of the world faced economic and financial crisis. The country's economy was ranked among the top 40 economies of the world in terms of competitiveness.