Ali Hasanov and Hajibala Abutalibov dismissed as Azerbaijan's Deputy PMs

Deputy Prime Ministers of Azerbaijan Ali Hasanov and Hajibala Abutalibov were dismissed by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev's order, the Azerbaijani presidential press service reported.

Ilham Aliyev has also received Ali Hasanov and Hajibala Abutalibov today as they submitted their resignation letters.

President Aliyev thanked Ali Hasanov for his contribution to the development of Azerbaijan. "Over the years, you have played an active role in the comprehensive development of Azerbaijan. You were nominated by great leader Heydar Aliyev. You were appointed to high positions back in Soviet times. In the years of independence, you have been Deputy Prime Minister for 21 years and under my leadership for the last 16 years. Of course, the high trust placed in you suggests that you did a good job," the head of state said.

Ilham Aliyev noted that life does not stand still, a new prime minister has been appointed and new tasks have been set for the Cabinet of Ministers. "In addition, you have reached retirement age, you are 71 years old, and, of course, I think that you are setting a good example by giving way to younger people. I hope that this will serve as a good example for other people represented in the government team," he said.

"At the same time, you are playing an active role in the public and political life, and on my recommendation the New Azerbaijan Party has honored you with the position of deputy chairman. This is a high assessment of your work and a sign of great trust in you both on my part and on the part of party members. I am sure that as a reliable member of the team you will continue your work. I believe that there is a need for more activity in the party. On my instructions, additional steps should be taken to improve the activities of the New Azerbaijan Party. You have recently been heavily actively involved in this, making trips to the regions. In the notes you are sending me, you provide information about the situation in the regions and put forward proposals related to the upcoming work," Ilham Aliyev said.

The Azerbaijani leader once again thanked Ali Hasanov for many years of work for the benefit of Azerbaijan. "I want to express my confidence that you will contribute to the public and political life of our country in the future too," the president added.

Ilham Aliyev also thanked Hajibala Abutalibov for the work he has done. "You have been working in various positions for many years – as Deputy Prime Minister, for 17 years as the head of the Baku City Executive Authority, and for the past year and a half you have been Deputy Prime Minister again. I know that you have always been faithful to great leader Heydar Aliyev. You expressed your position in the most difficult times for Heydar Aliyev. Some young people, of course, may not know this, some may forget about it. But I will never you expressing vehement protest at the idea of introducing an artificial age limit. At that time, the popular authority of great leader Heydar Aliyev was very high. The people did not see anyone else as the leaders. In order to prevent his future activities, the government bureaucrats introduced this absolutely absurd age limit. If I am not mistaken, a person over 65 years of age could not become president," the head of state recalled.

"The great leader was 69 years old at that time. I remember you organizing a protest in front of the parliament and, without being afraid of anyone, openly expressed your position. The threat of repression was very high at the time, and those who tried to prevent Heydar Aliyev from coming to power resorted to various dirty actions. They committed the brutal murder of Heydar Aliyev’s close ally Ajdar Khanbabayev, and when? On the day when Heydar Aliyev was supposed to return from Moscow to Baku. I arrived in Baku a day earlier in order to meet him. In order to prevent his arrival and instill fear, the same group committed the murder of an innocent man, a representative of the intelligentsia, Ajdar Khanbabayev. True, the killers subsequently received a well-deserved punishment and no-one managed to prevent Heydar Aliyev’s return to Azerbaijan. Despite all the dangers, he came to Baku and said his word. Unlike some of the cowards of today who call themselves “leaders”, he was ready to speak out against any danger and accept any hardships. This is his greatness, and you, Hajibala muallim, showed loyalty to the great leader, the Homeland, the state and our people at that time. Because the coming of Heydar Aliyev to power saved us all from a very big disaster. It is no coincidence that the great leader offered you high posts, appointed you as deputy prime minister, then as the head of the Baku City Executive Authority, and prior to that that you worked as the head of the Executive Authority of the Surakhani District of Baku. I remember that your activities at that time were somewhat surprising for some people, because, as I far as know, your doors were always open and anyone could come in. You were interested in people’s problems, and this was a kind of innovation. Some forget about it today, but I don’t, and I have invited you today to tell you about this and let the people of Azerbaijan know," the president explained,

"But life does not stand still, new tasks are being set and new challenges emerge. You have already passed 75 years and, of course, it is necessary to give way to the younger generation. Therefore, I appreciate your request. I believe that those in power who have reached retirement age, who are over 70, will probably follow your example. At least I hope so. You are also working hard in the New Azerbaijan Party. I believe that we should continue our activities as part of the party in the future too. I wish you every success in your future endeavors and express appreciation for the work you have done," Ilham Aliyev stressed.