President Ilham Aliyev: Independence is a great blessing, a great achievement

"Independence is a great blessing, a great achievement. But true independence exists only when a country is able to pursue an independent policy. Look, Azerbaijan is one of those countries," said President Ilham Aliyev during his meeting with residents in the village of Boyuk Galaderesi in Shusha, AzerNEWS reports.

The head of state also stated: "Today, there are nearly 200 independent countries in the world, but it cannot be said that each of them is truly independent. We are an independent state in the true sense of the word, because we determine our own destiny, conduct our policy without external influence, and act in the interests of our people and state on the basis of protecting national interests."