The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan held a memorial evening dedicated to the statesman, who has played a huge role in the fate of the post-Soviet space, Heydar Aliyev. His colleagues, employees of the diplomatic corps, the State Duma deputies, representatives of cultural and creative professions came to pay tribute to the prominent politician.
“He did a lot for the development of the Soviet Union as the first Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and a member of the Politburo. This man knew the state system from inside, the system of relations between states. Naturally, as soon as he returned to the leadership of the Republic, he began to establish relations with the Russian Federation. In addition, the personal relationship between the V.V. Putin and Heydar Aliyev immediately allowed the relations to be raised to a new level, a new bar. Now this policy is continued by the current president, Ilham Aliyev, of course, in their relations with the President of Russia, and bilateral relations, multilateral relations in the region, of course, are very closely related to, or rather, more correctly, to our relations with Russia. Naturally, I as an ambassador execute the will of the president and do the best I can so the relationship between our two countries develops,” Polad Bulbuloglu, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Russia, told Vestnik Kavkaza.
Polad Bulbuloglu
The special representative of Russian President for International and Cultural Cooperation, Mikhail Shvydkoi, told Vestnik Kavkaza about the legacy of the statesman: “He was engaged in the social sphere in the USSR when he was a Deputy Prime Minister. And his understanding of the role of culture, science and education in the life of any country was awesome. I think this is the legacy of his activities. He left behind one more very important thing. He knew the price of international relations. In this sense, I think the depth of his understanding of the complex processes that occur in any multi-ethnic country was great.”
Mikhail Shvydkoi
At the evening the guests shared their personal memories, spoke about the contribution of the politician to the development of Azerbaijan and Russia, and of course, about the friendship between the nations. “When he was asked to leave the Council of Ministers of the USSR, ostensibly for health reasons, he proved to his people, to all who believed in him, that with his health it is not only possible to work, but to create a new state, which today is rightly known far beyond its borders as one of the most thriving on the map of the CIS. Today Azerbaijan's economy is volatile, today it is a great, powerful and prosperous country with a surplus economy,” Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Association for Relations with Compatriots, stated.
“Heydar Aliyev always remained a friend of Russia, he was always a friend of the Russian people, and this memory we keep today will certainly be the greatest appreciation of his personality. I thank him for the fact that we are here together. Thank you for the fact that Azerbaijan and Russia are on the path that was chosen by two independent states, and they are on a very proper and sensible path,” Oleg Soskovets, President of the Russian Union of Manufacturers, expressed his view.
Oleg Soskovets
“I was really fortunate to work with Heydar Aliyev, at that time I worked as a deputy minister at Minneftigazstroy. And Heydar came and led a very important and very interesting direction. He led a lot of ministries. But most of all, we were in contact about transport. The fact is that Minneftigazstroy was the largest building ministry of the USSR. And our main problem was in creating a unique Western Siberian oil and gas complex, the largest in the world, which apart from us, no one has, and I am convinced, will not have.
Therefore, it is of course the great merit of Heydar Aliyev. Unfortunately, he left public service very early. I am convinced that his potential was not used to the full extent,” Gennady Schmal, President of the Russian Union of Oil and Gas, said.
Gennady Schmal
