Ilham Aliyev: No one reached out to us, whatever we acquired, we purchased with money - UPDATED

Azerbaijan has achieved an unprecedented Victory in the world on its own, President Ilham Aliyev said as he addressed the 8th Congress of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), according to Report.

The head of state noted that wars are going on in various places.

"Everyone has a big backer behind them, so to speak – some even have several. But we stood alone. All those big backers were against us. The co-chairs of the Minsk Group were against us. Today they are leading states in the world; just look at whom we waged war against," he said.

Ilham Aliyev added that these big backers stood behind Armenia and continue to stand behind it today, each in their own way.

"Therefore, we take pride in our Victory, our courage, our resolve, our people, and our state. This, too, serves as a serious barrier against ideological provocations. Of course, our ideological space must be free from foreign elements and foreign influences. This is, at the same time, our foreign policy strategy. We build our foreign policy – and must continue to do so – in such a way that no one interferes in our affairs. We need no one's help or patronage. When we needed help, no one helped us. When we had one million refugees, no one reached out to us. Whatever we acquired, we purchased with money. That includes all weapons, which were bought with money at world prices-down to the last bullet. I tell you this with full responsibility as Supreme Commander-in-Chief and as the person overseeing all these matters. You know how much Azerbaijan has armed itself since 2003, establishing local production and purchasing from abroad. Not once were we granted a single manat or single dollar discount. In fact, sometimes they sold to us at prices several times higher than the world market rate, and we were forced to turn a blind eye to it. Therefore, this is a very serious matter," the head of state said.

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"Our ideological space must be free from foreign elements and foreign influences. This is at the same time our foreign policy strategy," President Ilham Aliyev said in his speech at the 8th Congress of the New Azerbaijan Party, Report informs.

Emphasizing the direction of the country's international strategy, the head of state stressed: "We build our foreign policy, and we must continue to build it in the future, in such a way that no one interferes in our internal affairs. We do not need anyone's help, nor do we need anyone's patronage."