December 12 marks the 7th anniversary of the death of the architect and founder of the contemporary independent Azerbaijan, world-renowned politician, national leader Heydar Aliyev. In the years following the death of savior of the statehood of Azerbaijan, great son of the Turkic world, Heydar Aliyev, the tomb of this prominent person, eternal-living President has turned into the sacred sanctuary of our nation and the oath place of the youth. Almost throughout the whole year, people arrive here to pay tribute to this great Azerbaijani, who had introduced our people and Azerbaijan to the world and had himself become one of the greatest people around the globe.

On 12th of December – on the 7th anniversary of the death of great son of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, residents of Baku and other regions and cities of the country, as well as foreign guests visited the Alley of Honors to lay flowers and wreaths at the tomb.

The greatest part of Azerbaijan’s contemporary history upholds Heydar Aliyev’s name. Distinguished with extraordinary personality and a great talent belonging to a statesman, charismatic leader Heydar Aliyev had already turned into a living legend during his life. Having assumed leadership of the republic in 1969 for the first time, Heydar Aliyev had transformed Azerbaijan that was deep in social-economic crisis into one of the leading republics of the former Soviet Union in the years of 1970-1985. Scholars justly note that modern Azerbaijan’s state sovereignty and economic independence is based on the potential founded in those years.

In the summer of 1993, in the times when the fate of Azerbaijan, which had just gained its independence, was left to the mercy of God, the people trusted its and country’s future to Heydar Aliyev. This was a great come back and thanks to his savvy, rich political and statehood experience, unbreakable determination, invincible will, the national leader saved the country, the people and the young independent state from an inevitable tragedy. Appreciative Azerbaijani people has never forgotten the unexampled services of its great son.

On December 12th, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in the Alley of Honors to pay tribute to national leader Heydar Aliyev.

MPs, ministers, heads of committees, companies and offices, civil society representatives, guests from various countries also arrived in the Alley of Honors.

President Ilham Aliyev laid a wreath at the tomb of national leader.

A military orchestra played Azerbaijan’s national anthem.

The President also laid flowers at the tombs of renowned ophthalmologist Zarifa Aliyeva, statesman Aziz Aliyev and Professor Tamerlan Aliyev.

Among those in attendance at the commemorative ceremony were Prime Minister Artur Rasizadeh, chairman of the Milli Majlis Ogtay Asadov and Chief of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev, as well as other officials.