His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, Accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.You are recognized all over the world as an outstanding politician and diplomat, wise and far-sighted statesman, a patriot of his Motherland. Having worthily continued on the path of national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev, you have made profound changes in all areas of life in the country, ensuring public stability, and dynamic and progressive development of the republic for the years ahead. It is symbolic that as the Head of Dagestan my first foreign visit was to the brotherly Republic of Azerbaijan.We truly highly value the centuries-old friendship between our peoples and sincerely believe that our joint efforts will pave the way for further expansion of dialogue and mutual respect between the peoples of Dagestan and Azerbaijan. As Rasul Gamzatov wrote in his poems, recalling Baku, "Let the magnificent surf of the Caspian Sea speak of our eternal brotherhood".Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I wish robust health, inexhaustible energy, prosperity, and all the best in the New Year.Sincerely, Sergey Melikov Head of the Republic of Dagestan of the Russian Federation