Elmira Akhundova : “Heydar Aliyev acted only when he was certain of victory”

On May 10th it was 88 years since the birth of Azerbaijani national leader Heydar Aliyev. Elmira Akhundova, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, told VK correspondent about the first president of the country.

-       What can say about the first time you met Heydar Aliyev?

-       It was 1990. I was a special correspondent of  “Literaturnaya Gazeta” in Azerbaijan. I was asked to interview Heydar Aliyev. We met and it turned out that he knew my name as he read my article “We all came from the past” in “Bakinsky Rabochy” news paper.

-       Did you keep in touch with him?

-       I did in fact, I found him an interesting person. At first I was not interested in him as politician for his communist past. In those times we all supported the leaders of the national-democratic forces. But then I understood that Heydar Aliyev is a remarkable polician.

-       Did you saw him in danger?

-       You know, I remember that in 1996 there were rumours that the radical opposition was going to kill him, that it was dangerous even to use a plane. When he decided to visit Bulgaria and Romania and I was a member of the delegation, I asked him: “Isn’t it dangerous? May be you should be more careful?” He answered; “Don’t worry about me, the God will protect me, he needs me”. He made a great impression on me then.

-       Why did you decided to write a book about Heydar Aliyev?

-       I used to write about him for ten years as correspondent of “Literaturnaya Gazeta” and “Radio Svoboda”. Then I decided to write a book. It was right before his 80-th birthday.

-       What do you think about Heydar Aliyev’s role in the history of Azerbaijan?

-       He was a creator. He defended our independence and secured people’s well-being. His role in our history is remarkable. Even as a soviet leader he contributed much to the development of Azerbaijan.

Interview by Ramin Naziyev, Baku. Exclusively for VK.