Today is the 13th anniversary of the death of the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Ailev. On this occasion, people, who knew Heydar Aliyev personally, gathered in the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Russia for the commemorative event.
"We gather here twice: on Heydar Aliyev's birthday on May 10 and the Memorial Day on December 12. He passed away physically, but he is always present to us spiritually. The things he did, built and planned are being implemented. The great poet of the Caucasus Rasul Gamzatov wrote great lines that those who have never been forgotten should not be remembered. We do not need to say that we remember Heydar Aliyev. He is always with us, he is always there," the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbul oglu said.
"I have been very lucky. As a composer and as an artist I owe a lot to the time when Heydar Aliyev was the head of the republic. Later, I worked ten years as the Minister of Culture in his government. It was a great school, which will stay with me until the end of life. During these 10 years, I accompanied him on many trips in both the country and the world, I witnessed very heated discussions on the Karabakh issue, on the development of Azerbaijan. Those days were very difficult - attempted assassinations, a coup attempt. We went through all of this. We have lived through these years thanks to wisdom, great experience and authority of Heydar Aliyev. Since 1993, he managed to build a virtually new Azerbaijan, the country's new oil strategy, which has led today to a great result," Polad Bulbul oglu reminded.
Leonid Slutsky, the head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said that the founder of the modern Azerbaijani state turned Azerbaijan into one of the most prosperous economies during the transition period of the former Soviet Union: "He created modern Azerbaijan, laid the foundations of today's economy and the social sphere, and Ilham Aliev continues the work of his great father. The whole history of modern Azerbaijan has always been and will be associated with the name of Heydar Aliyev. We are very happy about the fate of sovereign Azerbaijan. Today, thousands of people in Russia honor the memory of Heydar Aliyev. Commemorating him, we appeal to those who worked with him hand in hand. We visit modern flourishing Azerbaijan, preparing to congratulate Ilham Aliyev this month on his 55th birthday. The memory of Heydar Aliyev will always be alive in our hearts, we will visit Azerbaijan more often, we will promote the development of relations with today's great, stable and prosperous Azerbaijan."
Speaking about the role of Heydar Aliyev in the dialogue between Russia and Azerbaijan, the head of the Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov said: "Our friendship and statehood have formed over the centuries. It is no accident that we merged after the collapse of the Russian Empire into the new great Soviet state, which was based on the work, humanism, friendship and justice. Our victories and the conquest of space were not accidental. Heydar Aliyev was the first deputy head of the Soviet government, he addressed large crowds; He was a very bright personality and a great diplomat. Azerbaijan is lucky that in the most severe times Heydar Aliyev stopped the infighting and did everything to ensure that our relationship developed. When the Azerbaijani people felt the great danger, the most talented people asked Heydar Aliyev, as the most influential and authoritative, strong-willed and strong leader, to help. He not just responded, he tried to resolve military conflicts. He arrived at the Russian community and said, "I'll be the guarantor of your personal safety. I will do everything to ensure peace, quiet and a decent life for you here. " When there was a difficult situation in Georgia, Transnistria, he managed to find the right tone of politics and diplomacy, which reassured the Russian community. Today, Russian language is taught in Azerbaijan schools, economic and industrial ties continue to deepen and strengthen. It is our common heritage. We should be proud of such heritage and multiply it. In recent years, the republic looks very interesting. Baku has become a bright and beautiful city. You feel worthy there, it is very important.
Baku is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its 15 km long quay is a wonderful flower garden with wonderful architecture. I want to bow to the bright memory of Heydar Aliyev, thank Ilham Aliyev because he continues his father's work. There are leaders that the nation is proud of, but there are leaders who can teach you a lot. Like friendship, mutual respect and understanding that the people will be strong and confident only together with Russia".
"My grandfather started the war from Vinnitsa, then defended Odessa, then he was seriously injured in Sevastopol. Two friends dragged him on the cape. Then he was sent to Baku, where he underwent five operations and survived, he worked 30-40 years as a teacher. Since I was a kid, my father told me about sunny Baku, about the beautiful people, the hospitable market, from which he was brought red wine - after a major operation he needed to drink red wine. And that light, good feeling remains for a lifetime. We have been friends with Heydar Aliyev, and I do everything to ensure that the friendship between our two nations has continued in the current challenging time," Gennady Zyuganov said.
Plenipotentiary Envoy of Russian President in the Central Federal District, Alexander Beglov, who was born in Baku, remembers: "I was 7-8 years old, but I remember when Heydar Aliyev was in charge of the markets to ensure that products are of very high quality and cheap. When I was 15-16 years old, Heydar Aliyev established order in the city of Baku. There was virtually no bullying there. When I grew up [and worked first in Leningrad, then in St. Petersburg], I met Heydar Aliyev several times. On the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, he gathered the Azerbaijani Diaspora. Then we talked a lot. Azerbaijanis is the most tolerant nation. They have a special culture, especially in Baku. Good movies such as 'Arshin Mal Alan' came from there, the entire Russian elite, poets, composers - Yesenin, Mayakovsky, Rostropovich - visited Baku. There was always an international environment in Baku. And today, it has been preserved. That's why I remember Heydar Aliyev as a very wise man, as an internationalist with a capital I".
President of the Union of Oil and Gas Producers of Russia, Gennady Schmal, said that it is difficult to overestimate the role of Heydar Aliyev in the development of the Soviet Union, "The more time passes, the more clearly we understand what a powerful political and especially economic figure he was. Back then, there was a commission on operational matters in the government, which considered the most pressing issues of economic development. And Heydar Aliyev was the chairman of this commission. They did not give away gingerbread. If someone had any peccadillo, then he went to a meeting of this committee, which were held every week. I then worked in the Ministry of Construction of the oil and gas industry. It was the leading and largest construction ministry in the USSR. We built all the oil and gas facilities. The whole economy depended on it. Therefore, we were responsible. They gave us a great technique and everything else, there were no problems with finances, but sometimes we dis not have enough resources, not enough people, not enough time. Every time coming to the meeting of the Commission on operational issues, I was struck by the depth of Heydar Aliyev's knowledge of economic problems, his ability to understand the details. I've never seen him angry. He was always calm, deeply studied affairs and make decisions, which allowed to solve certain pressing problems. "
Gennady Schmal recalls that Heydar Aliyev also oversaw the transport sector: "We had been working in Siberia at that time. There was a huge amount of goods - pipes and equipment. There was a problem with the unloading of wagons for 7-8 hours at temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees. Our technique did not work. We could use only imported pipelayers. Heydar Aliyev held weekly conference calls in the winter and considered all the issues to help us. Sometimes, there were troubles, but more importantly that we had been solving problems, which allowed our economy to survive. Now we live because we have Western Siberia, Yamal, Ugra. Oil and gas in these regions keep our economy afloat. This is a great merit of Heydar Aliyev ".
Schmal stressed that "at the same time, Heydar Aliyev was a very humble man, his simplicity amazed people."
People's Artist of USSR Iosif Kobzon expressed opinion that Heydar Aliyev played a leading role in promoting a cultural dialogue between Russia and Azerbaijan. "He did everything to unite the multinational people of Azerbaijan, make it believe in its own future. There were a lot of problems, as in all other countries. But there is no doubt that Heydar Aliyev worked, and now Ilham Aliyev is working for the people, for the republic. Today, Azerbaijan is booming and will prosper further. People believe in the things intended by Heydar Aliyev and believes that his on Ilham Aliyev will continue his father's work. I even have a song with the following words: "A son must become a hero, if his father was." That is exactly the case when a father was a hero and there is a worthy son of his father. Ilham Aliyev took up the torch from his father, took up the general line, which was planned by Heydar Aliyev for Azerbaijan's development. "
"Heydar Aliyev went through hardships. But his love for his people, his strong spirit restrained pain and illness. Time has no power over the scale of personality. Years have passed, but we, his contemporaries, believe that it will take decades and hundreds of years, but his name will always remain in the memory of future generations. He is rightly at the top of the pantheon of outstanding personalities. He was not only a strategically-minded, but also ambitious politician, who possessed great strength of will," the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Commission for UNESCO, the former head of North Ossetia, Alexander Dzasokhov, said.
"When Heydar Aliyev led the republic during the Soviet era, Baku became the uncrowned capital of the Soviet system. It held large events. From all over the world it gathered people interested in the experience of Soviet Azerbaijan in the solution not only of education, but also in dealing with the most complex international issues. The modern city of Baku and modern Azerbaijan remain the capital of the major political forums and international meetings.
Now, as a benevolent and caring about friendly Azerbaijan man, I should say that Ilham Aliyev very clever and adequately fulfills his mission. He passed this test, to our delight and to the delight of the Azerbaijani people. He proved to be an effective, successful manager of modern Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev met our expectations, successfully directing the country, which is friendly to Russia. The Aliyev era was successful in both the Soviet times and now," Dzasokhov stated.
