Azerbaijan, Baku, June 15 / Trend, M. Aliyev /
June 15 marks Azerbaijan's National Salvation Day and the date must forever be remembered as the birthday of independent Azerbaijan, MP Aydin Mirzazade told Trend today.
"Before (former President and national leader) Heydar Aliyev returned to the helm of the government, Azerbaijan was on the verge of losing its independence," he said. "The country was on the verge of civil war. Azerbaijani territories were occupied by Armenia and Aliyev did not only face having to resolve such pressing issues, but he also had to determine the path of our future development."
Mirzazade said Azerbaijan was confronted with the threat of a civil war in the summer of 1993. The Azerbaijani public then called for Aliyev to return from Nakhchivan to Baku, and the former president returned and quickly proved able to prevent a civil war.
Aliyev was elected chairman of the Azerbaijani Supreme Council June 15, 1993. Today the date is remembered as National Salvation Day. The date was declared a holiday in June 1997.