Interview by Ramin Naziyev, Baku. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
The 90th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev is marked on May 10th. The deputy of Milli Medzhlis, the chairman of the parliamentary committee on regional affairs, the head of the working group on Azerbaijani-Russian interparliamentary ties, Arif Ragimzade, told Vestnik Kavkaza about Heydar Aliyev.
- What was your first impression about Heydar Aliyev?
- We first met in 1974 when I supervised scientific institutes in the Council of Ministers. At that time they wanted me to work in the Central Committee of the republic. Heydar Aliyev talked to each employee personally. When I began working in the Central Committee, I saw that Heydar Aliyev couldn’t stand drawbacks and disorderliness. At the same time, he was an optimist; and his optimism encouraged his environment and the whole republic.
- What was the main secret of Heydar Aliyev’s success?
- He was very critical to himself and the employees; he was always sure that he was right because he had never done things which he thought were wrong. He was very far-seeing, he saw not only a result of some drawbacks, but also a root of a problem. His personal skills, mind, critical attitude to work, phenomenal memory, organizational skills enabled him to be a leader. It was enough for him to address to people once, and thousands of people supported his policy without any special organization in a couple of hours.
For example, in October 1994 when an attempt of the state turnover took place, Heydar Aliyev addressed to the nation on air, urging to support the government. In an hour 40-45 thousand people gathered in front of the presidential administration to support him.
- You used to be a member of the party New Azerbaijan which was headed up by Heydar Aliyev. How did he gather his crew, what was important for him?
- In that period Heydar Aliyev’s work differed from his work in the Soviet times. In the USSR people working in party structures must take positions in the state bodies. When Azerbaijan became independent, a democratic society was established in the country, and the party was an important force. But it wasn’t an administrative and bossy force, like the Communist Party. By the way, today the party factor is still significant for promotion of policy by the current president.
Heydar Aliyev chose people, according to professionalism, critical attitude, business skills, honesty and fairness.
- What are differences between the Soviet years when Aliyev was the chairman of Azerbaijan’s Central committee and the years of independent Azerbaijan when Aliyev was the president?
- Heydar Aliyev predicted the end of the Soviet Union and prepared Azerbaijan for an independent life. Before his coming in office, Azerbaijan was in a difficult situation; economy stagnated; agriculture experienced more and more problems year by year; the social sphere wasn’t improved – there were problems with residential areas, school textbooks, medicines in hospitals, and so on. Azerbaijan took the bottom places in the Soviet Union in these spheres. Heydar Aliyev changed the situation.
He sent the best pupils to the leading universities of the Soviet Union. He intended to train military experts in Azerbaijan – Nakhichivancky Military College was established. This initiative caused an ambiguous reaction in the CPSU Central Committee.
In the last years of the Soviet Union Azerbaijan was one of three republics which weren’t sponsored by the center. In the independent years of Azerbaijan Aliyev did his best for this independence wasn’t short, for this independence would last forever, for our country would never depend on any other country.
To be continued
