Heydar Aliyev was a legendary personality of both the Soviet Union and the post-Soviet space, politicians and political scientists said, speaking with the correspondents of Vestnik Kavkaza in connection with the 94th birthday anniversary of the national leader of Azerbaijan.
Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov first of all stressed that there were very few such personalities in Russian history, like Heydar Aliyev. "I want to remind you that the great achievements of the Soviet Union were associated with his name. When Heydar Aliyev was a member of the Politburo, they entrusted him the most complex projects, and he coped brilliantly with any tasks," he recalled.
"All those who were close to him recognized that he was a great man. He became even greater when the people brought him to power in independent Azerbaijan - it happened at the most important moment for the republic. Therefore, today, on May 10, I congratulate all Azerbaijani people, I congratulate all those who was directly involved in the work and life of Heydar Aliyev and, above all, of course, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Heydarovich, because he continues to pursue a course in the name of his people and in memory of his father," the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov said.
The director of the Institute of Political Studies Sergei Markov noted that Heydar Aliyev's achievements would be enough for two lives of a great man. "In the Soviet times, Heydar Aliyev was a very successful leader of the Azerbaijan SSR, he managed to turn Azerbaijan from the oil-producing agrarian union republic into the republic with developing industry, science and education. The economy of the Azerbaijan SSR became modern under his rule. This Heydar Aliyev's success was expressed in the famous phrase of Leonid Brezhnev "Azerbaijan marches widely," he reminded in the first place.
"After being highly appreciated by the Soviet leadership, Heydar Aliyev joined the government as First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Unfortunately, after Mikhail Gorbachev's coming to power, Heydar Aliyev was dismissed, apparently, because he tried to resist Gorbachev's reforms that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. And many are convinced that if people like Heydar Aliyev stayed in the highest Soviet leadership, there would be no disintegration of the USSR," Sergei Markov said.
Heydar Aliyev's second political life is connected with the history of independent Azerbaijan. "In the most difficult time for the republic Heydar Aliyev returned to active political life first in Nakhichevan and then in Baku. He solved two main tasks at that time: he removed the Popular Front of Azerbaijan and created a modern state in Azerbaijan. He also stopped the war, thanks to which the republic was given an opportunity for effective development," the political scientist stressed.
"Then he signed the 'contract of the century', which attracted Western companies to the rapid development of Azerbaijan's oil and gas sector ," Sergei Markov said, adding that the proceeds from it allowed to quickly recover Azerbaijan's economy.
As a result, all the state tasks which Heydar Aliyev faced were solved by him. "By the end of his life Heydar Aliyev managed to solve two more problems: first, he restored good relations with Russia in the person of President Vladimir Putin; second, he transferred power to his son Ilham Aliyev, thereby ensuring the stability of state power in Azerbaijan for many years to come," the director of the Institute of Political Studies concluded.
