A solemn ceremony dedicated to the 94th birthday anniversary of Heydar Aliyev and the 13th anniversary of the establishment of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was held in Baku on May 10. During the ceremony attended by IlhamAliyev and Mehriban Aliyeva, the national poet of Azerbaijan Nariman Hasanzadeh was awarded the prize of Azerbaijan's national leader, and a scientist-orientalist Vasim Mammadaliyev was awarded the international premium 'Golden Chinar' founded by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2017. On this day, the events dedicated to Heydar Aliyev were held in the embassies of Azerbaijan abroad, in particular, in Moscow. At the embassy reception in the Russian capital, the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza talked with those who personally knew Heydar Aliyev.
The Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, Sergey Lebedev, said: "I was fortunate enough to meet with Heydar Alievich more than once. For me as a chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, of course, it is important to note that Heydar Alievich was an internationalist. He highly valued the friendship of the peoples that were part of the USSR. In his practical activities, he always advocated the preservation and strengthening of the friendship of the peoples of the Commonwealth, as well as interaction and cooperation. This legacy is continued by his son, the current President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. I am very pleased to note that Azerbaijan is an active participant of economic and humanitarian cooperation within the CIS. Azerbaijan also holds many humanitarian events with the participation of Azerbaijani representatives, aimed at preserving ties in the sphere of education and youth policy.
Sergey Lebedev emphasized that this year the Azerbaijani city of Ganja is the cultural capital of the CIS: "It holds many cultural events, which are attended by representatives of culture, education, science from other CIS countries. I am deeply convinced that Heydar Aliyev's legacy on preserving the friendship and cooperation of the peoples of the post-Soviet space will be implemented further".
At the same time, the chairman of the CIS Executive Committee, as a participant of many high-level meetings, stressed that all the leaders of the CIS countries are interested in a peaceful and speedy settlement of the Karabakh conflict, taking into account the interests of the peoples of both countries: "We are deeply convinced that it would be in the interests of both the people of Azerbaijan and the people of Armenia. The leaders of our countries are doing their best to help resolve this issue. It is evidenced by the recent meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow. There are other steps aimed at an early peaceful settlement of this conflict. I really do hope that all these common efforts will lead to the desired results".
People's Artist of USSR Iosif Kobzon, speaking to the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, said that Heydar Aliyev played a fundamental role in the formation of the USSR and the development of Russian-Azerbaijani relations: "The wise leader Heydar Aliyev returned to power at the most difficult moment, when there was an intellectual fermentation, the change of leadership, a ban on the Communist Party, they were all afraid of unrest, a civil war. He came to my concerts, we talked over a cup of tea. Frankly, I envied my colleagues, Muslim Magomayev and others, that they have such a leader - a wise man, who understands culture, art, protects patriotism. Heydar Aliyev conveyed it to his wonderful son Ilham, who continues to lead the people and the country, as his father bequeathed him".
Assessing the current development of Azerbaijan, Kobzon said: "They have an amazing quality: they have not learned how to steal, so they build. Every time when I visit Azerbaijan, I see how it is growing, and oil rivers flow not into the pockets of oligarchs but flow into the people and the country. I am very happy and proud that such a country as Azerbaijan is developing rapidly".
The chairman of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachev, told Vestnik Kavkaza that the scale of any person becomes obvious after a lapse of time: "Heydar Aliyev is amazing because the scale of his personality only increases. The work he has been doing all his life, to which he dedicated all his life in completely different epochs, in completely different circumstances, in completely different ways and qualities, lives in modern Azerbaijan, is continued by his successors, the current president and all the state leadership of Azerbaijan. The country is developing surprisingly stably, progressively. It is not easy in the current difficult geopolitical circumstances. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan, like Russia, has many detractors in the outside world. I can tell by the discussions that periodically take place around Azerbaijan whithin the PACE, the OSCE PA and other structures of this kind. But modern Azerbaijan retains its dignity, does not allow to encroach upon its own sovereignty, that is, it continues the line laid by Heydar Aliyev, which is proving its adequacy and its conformity to national interests".
Kosachev acknowledged that he was not personally acquainted with Heydar Aliyev, but "if such a meeting could take place, he would be able to teach me and many Russian politicians a lot".
