Baku, Azerbaijan, December 12. Azerbaijan is commemorating the 21st anniversary of the death of Heydar Aliyev, the national leader of the Azerbaijani people.
Both in Azerbaijan and abroad, people honor the bright memory of their national leader with great respect.
Heydar Aliyev was born on May 10, 1923 in Nakhchivan. Starting his career in the security services in 1944, he assumed the position of Deputy Chairman of the State Security Committee of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1964, and was appointed Chairman of the Committee in 1967. The rank of major general. He specialized in higher education in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and graduated from the Faculty of History at Azerbaijan (now Baku) State University in 1957.
In July 1969, Heydar Aliyev was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Azerbaijani SSR at the plenary session. In December 1982, he became a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and was appointed First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, making him one of the leaders of the Soviet Union. In October 1987, he resigned from his position in protest against the policies of the Politburo and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.
After the tragic events of January 20, 1990, when Soviet troops committed atrocities in Baku, Heydar Aliyev made a statement the next day to the Azerbaijani delegation in Moscow, demanding justice for the organizers and perpetrators of crimes against the Azerbaijani people. . In protest against the Soviet Union’s dual policy on the Karabakh conflict, he left the Soviet Communist Party in July 1991.
Returning to Azerbaijan in July 1990, Heydar Aliyev resided first in Baku and later in Nakhchivan. In the same year, he was elected as a member of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan. From 1991 to 1993, he served as Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan. In 1992, Nakhchivan’s New Azerbaijan Party elected him as chairman at its inaugural meeting.
Heydar Aliyev’s return to power by the will of the people in 1993 was a turning point in Azerbaijani history. During the country’s most difficult times, he took charge of its future and led the country through political and economic turmoil. He corrected the consequences of short-sighted leadership, ended war, prevented civil war, and led the country on the path of development and progress.
It was thanks to Heydar Aliyev that the historic “Agreement of the Century” was signed and became the cornerstone of a comprehensive oil strategy that triggered rapid economic growth. The great leader declared in his 1998 inaugural address: “We want Azerbaijan to enter the 21st century as a strong, independent nation. We aim to create a better life for future generations. Azerbaijan will develop into a free and democratic country. Europe meets Asia. It plays a historic role at the intersection.”
Today Azerbaijan is a strong, authoritative and truly independent state. Building on the foundation laid by the great leader, President Ilham Aliyev has created an unprecedented success story for Azerbaijan. It eradicated poverty, built a strong economy, created a professional military, and strengthened its international presence, making it a significant global player.
The victorious people of Azerbaijan live in an independent, stable and prosperous state, just as Heydar Aliyev dreamed.
