Speech by President Ilham Aliyev at a ceremony to mark the 87th birthday anniversary of nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev and the sixth anniversary of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation

Dear ladies and gentlemen!

Dear friends!

Today we are celebrating the 87th birthday anniversary of the great son of the Azerbaijani people and nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev. Heydar Aliyev always served the Azerbaijani people with dedication and dignity. He always had one goal – to develop Azerbaijan, improve the well-being of Azerbaijani citizens and lead our country forward. Heydar Aliyev’s contributions to that are invaluable. In 1969, Azerbaijan was the least developed Soviet republic. Al socioeconomic indices of the country were at a low level and, in general, Azerbaijan as a republic of the Union was facing serious difficulties.

It was thanks to Heydar Aliyev’s wisdom and activity that in 1982 Azerbaijan was a leading Soviet republic. There were only two self-sufficient Soviet republics at the time, and Azerbaijan was one of them. A powerful infrastructure and new industrial sectors, which are serving the country’s development even today, were established in the 1970s. It was in those years that agriculture was developed and Azerbaijani people started to live better. Every effort was made to set up new enterprises, factories, plants, build new roads and railway tracks in Azerbaijan. Because of all this the Azerbaijani people have always loved and confided in Heydar Aliyev. This love and confidence always live in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people.

In the late 1982, Heydar Aliyev was invited to Moscow. He was appointed as first deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers and a member of the Political Bureau. A new stage in his life started. Those days stand out quite vividly in my memory and I know that he didn’t want to leave Azerbaijan. He was honored to be the first Azerbaijani to be appointed to one of the most responsible and highest posts in the Soviet Union. Despite that, his heart stayed in Azerbaijan. The great leader was saying then: I still need to do a lot in Azerbaijan. At the same time, he realized only too well that by working in a high position in Moscow, he can help Azerbaijan even more. Over five years, in the 1982-1987 period, numerous decisions and resolutions were passed to develop Azerbaijan. Practical steps were taken to develop different spheres of life in our republic. He was doing his best to help Azerbaijan live better.

However, despite that, the absence of Heydar Aliyev was gradually leading the republic to a recession. In 1982-1987, the republic was still developing because of momentum. However, the determination and the will were no longer there. Of course, the absence of Heydar Aliyev at crucial moments exposed the republic to very serious problems.

After he resigned from all posts in 1987, Azerbaijan came under even greater pressure. Hardly had two weeks passed from his resignation when Armenian nationalists openly demonstrated their plans to separate Upper Qarabag from the Azerbaijan Republic and annex it to Armenia. Prior to that, they had been concealing their intentions. Using different lobbying activity, they tried to forge public opinion both abroad and in the Soviet Union that Upper Qarabag should be annexed to Armenia, that Azerbaijan is ignoring its problems, therefore, it must be separated from Azerbaijan.

After Heydar Aliyev was estranged from the position, these tendencies further intensified and the process of open territorial claims on Azerbaijan commenced. Unfortunately, this process was spearheaded by the then Soviet leaders. If they hadn’t had a hand in this, the conflict in the South Caucasus would have never flared up.

Thus, different pressures were put on Azerbaijan and the situation in the republic started gradually exacerbating. To put Azerbaijan in an even more difficult situation, anti-national forces were introduced to the republic’s government and were used to commit crimes against our people. Crimes against Azerbaijani people were also perpetrated by traitors at home. Of course, the Armenian side capitalized on that and unleashed a war on Azerbaijan. We can say that those years were crucial for us. If Heydar Aliyev had stayed in Azerbaijan at the time, Upper Qarabag separatists would have never succeeded and our lands would have never been occupied.

In those years, in 1987-1993, there were widespread instability, arbitrariness, anarchy and disobedience in Azerbaijan. The only place in Azerbaijan noted for stability was the Naxcivan Autonomous Republic, and that was because Heydar Aliyev was elected leader of the republic following persistent demands of the people. On the one hand, it was under his leadership that resistance was offered to Armenian occupiers and the people of Naxcivan managed to rebuff all territorial claims. But on the other hand, the then Azerbaijani leaders were trying to crush the positions of Heydar Aliyev in Naxcivan and dismiss him from his post.

But people both in Naxcivan and Azerbaijan as a whole said their word. After a civil war broke out in Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev started receiving calls in Naxcivan that he was being viewed as the only person capable of taking Azerbaijan out of the predicament. The future of our nation and our independence were at stake. Azerbaijan had already gained independence earlier in the 20th century, but it didn’t last long, as two years later, due to the activity of foreign forces and the efforts of certain anti-nationalists within the country, we were deprived of independence.

There was a similar situation in 1993. We had been independent for only two years, but Azerbaijan’s independence was already called into question. Territorial claims on our country led to the occupation of our lands. As a result of the seizure of Susa, Lacin and Kalbacar, a geographical connection was established between Armenia and Upper Qarabag. Under such circumstances, further existence of Azerbaijan was in jeopardy. Can we live as an independent country or not?! Can the Azerbaijani people determine its fate independently or not?! These questions were always in the air at the time.

Then, at a crucial moment, the Azerbaijani people made the right choice. Addressing their leader, the people called on Heydar Aliyev to assume political administration, and a period of development, stability and progress started in 1993. First of all, the civil war was stopped, all illegal formations were disbanded and stability was established in the country. On the basis of that Azerbaijan started developing.

At the time Azerbaijan was seen as a high-risk place for foreign investment. Great political experience, knowledge and talent were required to attract the world’s leading energy companies to Azerbaijan in 1994 and to convince them that their investment would be secure and profitable. And he did that: one of the most remarkable events in Azerbaijani history took place in 1994 – the signing of the Contract of the Century. After that the world community’s confidence in Azerbaijan started enhancing as major investment began flowing in Azerbaijan. It was under the leadership and on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev that profound political and economic reforms were launched. Development trends were observed in all areas, the recession was reversed and Azerbaijan started developing successfully.

We remember those days and years only too well. We also remember those disliking Azerbaijan and taking a hostile position towards our statehood trying, until 1996, to undermine stability and even attempting to stage coup d’etat in Azerbaijan.

But the Azerbaijani people united around their leader and thwarted all these negative phenomena. Today Azerbaijan is the most rapidly developing country.

The 1993-2003 period proved crucial for the future of our country. The work done in that decade is tantamount to what could be done over a century. After many decades and centuries, our people finally obtained the opportunity to become independent. The Azerbaijani people was part of other countries and empires for centuries. At times, we were also a colony. But we have preserved our national identity, national and native language. Our state is built on a solid foundation.

The most memorable of what Heydar Aliyev has done in all areas is state construction. It is thanks to him that the Azerbaijani state emerged – a modern Azerbaijani state which lives successfully, develops, pursues an independent policy and opens up new opportunities for its people.

It was in that decade that Azerbaijan reinforced its international standing, successfully integrated into the world community and was recognized as a reliable partner and friendly state. There was development and progress in all areas at the time.

I want to repeat that those years determined the development strategy for the present-day Azerbaijan. Most importantly, Heydar Aliyev’s policy continues to live on. I remember promising the Azerbaijani people in the run-up to the 2003 presidential election that, if elected, I will continue the policy of Heydar Aliyev. I am proud to say that today Azerbaijan is moving along the path chosen by Heydar Aliyev. The work being done in Azerbaijan today is making us stronger. Azerbaijan has strengthened its regional positions, our positions in the world have also strengthened. The reforms and policies under way in the country meet the national interests of Azerbaijan.

Heydar Aliyev’s ideology is strongly embedded in Azerbaijan. A strong state and economy, cohesion over a national idea, the Azerbaijan philosophy, the Azerbaijan ideology, construction of a modern state on the basis of ethnic and spiritual values – all these processes are successfully continuing in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has already completed the period of transition.

We are moving forward. We must be among the most developed countries. Our policy aims to achieve that. Our performance indicators for the last six to seven years explicitly demonstrate that. Our budget expenditure has increased over 10 times. Over six years, in 2004-2009, our economy expanded about three times. This has never happened elsewhere in the world. The level of poverty has dropped from 49 to 11 per cent, and I am sure that this social problem will be completely eliminated in the near future. A total of 900,000 jobs were created in the last six to seven years. There is improvement throughout the country, infrastructure projects are being implemented.

Heydar Aliyev’s oil strategy is also continuing successfully. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the foundation of which was laid by him, has been in operation since 2006. The Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline has operated since 2007. Azerbaijan is accessing new markets. Our energy policy fully meets our domestic needs. At the same time, Azerbaijan is contributing to the energy security of other countries, and our contribution will grow in the future because we have taken all the measures necessary. While implementing Heydar Aliyev’s oil strategy, we have fully secured our national interests.

There is development and progress in all spheres of life, we are successfully continuing our policy today. All our plans and programs are fulfilled on time. I have no doubt that Azerbaijan will preserve a successful development dynamics in the coming years.

Our reforms are receiving good feedback not only of the Azerbaijani people, but also of the world community. Today Azerbaijan is the leading CIS state for competitiveness and IT development. Baku is one of the most beautiful cities of the world. Other cities of Azerbaijan are improving as well. Wherever I go, I can see development, progress, improvement and beauty. These are the realities of present-day Azerbaijan. The foundation of all this is the factor of Heydar Aliyev, the policy of Heydar Aliyev. We are adhering to this policy, we are faithful to the will of our nationwide leader. Azerbaijan is in good hands. We are successfully developing Azerbaijan, and I have no doubt that Azerbaijan’s successful and comprehensive development will be eternal.

We will continue to strengthen our independence, make our independent policy stronger. The Azerbaijani people is the master of its fate. The Azerbaijani state is governed by the will of the Azerbaijani people. To realize our future plans, Heydar Aliyev’s policy must be continued. Heydar Aliyev’s policy lives and will live on eternally.