Azerbaijan, Baku, May / Trend A.Badalova/
Heydar Aliyev was a powerful and charismatic leader with an impressive grasp of detail, and remarkable memory with the ability to articulate a vision for the future of Azerbaijani nation, and drive towards its realization, former BP Azerbaijan president David Woodward said.
In an interview with Trend, Woodward spoke about the role of Heydar Aliyev in the creation of Azerbaijan's long-term development strategy.
"Heydar Aliyev was instrumental in identifying that the nation's oil and gas resources and potential could be key in securing the independence and successful economic development of Azerbaijan following the country's succession from the Soviet Union," Woodward said.
According to Woodward, Heydar Aliyev did this by allowing a broad international participation in the energy sector while maintaining good terms with the country's regional neighbors.
A production sharing agreement (PSA) on Azerbaijani Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli offshore fields block, which is rightly called the Contract of the Century, became one of the first such agreements in the Former Soviet Union, provided a framework within which the international oil companies such as BP would have the confidence to make the major investments.
The contract went down into the world history as one of the major agreements in oil sector.
These investments, according to Woodward, were necessary to develop the oil and gas resources in an environment, which at the time was viewed as posing considerable risks.
"Heydar Aliyev maintained close contact with the subsequent development projects and provided his personal support and that of the government and SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) without which the ACG, BTC and Shah Deniz projects could not have been successfully completed," Woodward said.
Woodward believes that the major revenues arising from the ACG and Shah Deniz developments have contributed hugely to the economy of Azerbaijan in the form of state spending on infrastructure, schooling, healthcare and so on.
"Although having left Azerbaijan in 2006 I have not witnessed these developments directly but have seen and heard reports of the impressive progress that has been achieved," Woodward said.
"The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), has accumulated significant capital which will help secure the long-term wealth of the country, and I am sure that the private sector of the economy will have grown substantially during this period as well," he added.
Woodward noted that the impact of these projects has extended beyond Azerbaijan: the BTC operations and transit fees have benefited Georgia and Turkey, and so did the supply of Shah Deniz gas through the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP).
Undoubtedly, the energy projects will have contributed to yet closer political and economic ties between these countries, the former president of BP Azerbaijan said.
But, according to Woodward, the impact of these projects has been even broader as they have brought new sources of oil and gas from the Caspian to supply European and Global markets thus making Azerbaijan a significant player on the international stage.
He also stressed that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was already playing a part in the formulation and implementation of Azerbaijan during his days as a Senior Vice President in SOCAR, where on a number of occasions he personally contributed to the resolution of issues to ensure that the ACG and BTC projects could move ahead.
"Once Ilham Aliyev became President, he continued the active support to these projects that had been displayed by Heydar Aliyev before him. Despite I left Azerbaijan over six years ago now, I am aware that oil and gas developments have continued. And with the prospect of future Shah Deniz gas deliveries to Europe, President Ilham Aliyev is maintaining the policy of utilizing the country's resources not merely for economic gain, but also to further Azerbaijan's international relations and standing," Woodward stressed.