The address of the head of state to the nation on the eve of the end of 2025 and the welcoming of the New Year entered the modern history of Azerbaijan not merely as a holiday greeting, but as a magnificent culmination of the glorious path traversed by a powerful state in the last five years. Today, Azerbaijan, as a victorious country that has fully restored its military, political, and economic sovereignty, is erasing the traces of 30 years of occupation and emerging as a new strong partner on a global scale. The special significance of 2025 lies in the fact that our nation celebrated the fifth anniversary of our historic Victory with great pride. Over these past short but meaningful five years, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have advanced along a path of dynamic development, further increasing their strength and being equipped with the most modern weapons and equipment as a result of President Ilham Aliyev's far-sighted policy. In particular, the several-fold increase in the numerical strength of the Special Forces and the adaptation of our army to modern combat standards are brilliant results of the head of state's military strategy. Against the backdrop of the large-scale armament process and modern threats worldwide, Azerbaijan's primary focus on its national security is the most important direction of our state's far-sighted policy, based on national interests.
Every step taken by Azerbaijan after the military victory in the Patriotic War has served to further strengthen this Victory on the international and political stage. The entire world has now accepted the new reality created by Azerbaijan, and with the Minsk Group relegated to the archives of history, the Karabakh conflict has been completely removed from the international agenda. Today, we speak not of conflict, but of a peace agenda. The official confirmation of this peace and victory in Washington with the participation of the US President is another great success of Ilham Aliyev's far-sighted policy in the field of diplomacy. The large-scale construction work carried out within our country, the rapid development of regions, and our independent foreign policy course have made Azerbaijan's international reputation unshakeable. Azerbaijan has always been a proponent of equal partnership, and as the head of state emphatically stressed, we have not allowed and will not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. Azerbaijan's political will, the unity of the people and government, and its growing economic potential enable our country to thwart all attempts by those who wish to dictate their will to us.
The multifaceted nature of our foreign policy, our active membership in eight important international organizations, and our acceptance as a full member of the Consultative Council of Central Asian countries demonstrate our country's geopolitical weight. Thanks to Ilham Aliyev's far-sighted policy, the ECO Summit held in Khankendi and the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Gabala during 2025 were historic steps both in introducing our liberated territories to the world and in advancing the unity of the Turkic world. These diplomatic successes are based not only on political and military strength but also on a robust economy; thus, our foreign exchange reserves have exceeded the historic record of 80 billion dollars, and our foreign debt has fallen to just 6.3 percent of GDP. The fact that our reserves exceed our foreign debt by 16 times and that leading global agencies have raised Azerbaijan's credit rating is a clear indicator of our state's economic independence.
The colossal work carried out in our liberated territories within the framework of the Great Return program is also already yielding results. Nearly 70,000 of our citizens have already returned to their native lands, starting a new life in 32 different villages, settlements, and cities, where they live, work, and study. In the context of his holiday greetings, the President also congratulated on the Day of Solidarity of World Azerbaijanis, emphasizing once again that regardless of where they live, every compatriot knows that a strong Azerbaijani state stands behind them. The fate of every Azerbaijani is valuable to our state, and this spirit of solidarity, under the far-sighted leadership of the President, is the greatest moral strength leading Azerbaijan towards a brighter and more powerful future. It is undoubtedly true that in 2026, which we have now entered, Azerbaijan will achieve new successes and increase its military, political, and economic strength under the far-sighted leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.
