On the 12 of December, Azerbaijanis paid tribute to the national leader Heydar Aliyev. During the day, the memorial of the ex-president was visited by prominent social activists, intelligentsia, representatives of the government and the parliament, as well as by common people.
Heydar Aliyev was an outstanding political and state activist of Azerbaijan and the Soviet Union. He became a legend while alive. He spoke at the mission of Azerbaijani in Moscow, demanding punishment for initiators and executors of the bloody tragedy on the 20th January 1990 in Baku. In July 1991 Aliyev left rows of the Communist party as a protest against the Societ policy in Nagorny Karabakh. After returning to Azerbaijan he lived in Baku and later in Nakhichyvan, where he was elected a deputy of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan. In 1993 Azerbaijanis demanded Heydar Aliyev to be the head of Azerbaijan in the context of political crisis, threat of a civil war and losing of independence.
The current authorities of Azerbaijan had to invite him to Baku officially. On the 15th of June 1993 Heydar Aliyev was elected the chairman of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan, on the 24th of July he became the acting president of the republic. On October 3rd Heydar Aliyev was elected the president of Azerbaijan.
He became the head of the state when the republic was at edge of economic and political disaster. Heydar Aliyev was managed to take the situation under control and stop the civil conflict. Under his management the first constitution of independent Azerbaijan was adopted. Serious economic reforms were started. They were oriented at global energy projects on transportation of Azerbaijani oil and gas to the world markets. Heydar Aliyev signed beneficial oil contracts, which are called Contracts of the Century. Baku became the oil and political partner of the USA and established close ties with West. At the same time, Azerbaijan was managed to maintain balance between West and Russia. The policy by Heydar Aliyev was directed at improving of political and economic prosperity of the republic. He paid close attention to social problems.
Today conferences devoted to Heydar Aliyev are taking place in several countries of the world. Such arrangements were organized in Moscow and other Russian cities by the All-Russian Azerbaijani Congress, the Russian Mission of Heydar Aliyev Fund and the Azerbaijani Youth Organization of Russia. Similar events were conducted by Azerbaijani communities in Ukraine, Moldavia, the Baltic states, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Turkey, Finland, Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Egypt, Israel, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Eight years ago not a simple former president of one of the Soviet republics left this world, the whole epoch has come to an end.
Elmira Tariverdiyeva, Baku. Exclusively to VK.
