BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 12
Trend:
The liberation of Azerbaijan's native lands from Armenian occupation was one of the essential covenants of Azerbaijani National Leader Heydar Aliyev, First Deputy Director General of TASS Mikhail Gusman told Trend .
"I remember well this tragic day - December 12, 2003, when the great statesman, National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, died in the hospital after a serious illness. We all, of course, knew that he was very sick for a long time, his state of health was grave, but still, the news of his death literally pierced our hearts with lightning. All people endlessly respected and appreciated Heydar Aliyev as a person who raised the flag of Azerbaijan high at the times of the USSR," said Gusman.
"I remember the tragic day - December 15 - the day of Heydar Aliyev's funeral. I was in Baku that day, sat in the hall of the Heydar Aliyev Palace, previously known as the Republic Palace, participated in the funeral service. Dozens of delegations and leaders of different countries, abandoning all affairs in their states, flew to Baku to say goodbye to Heydar Aliyev. I remember the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the funeral service and how, after its completion, he handed over to Ilham Aliyev the Order of the "Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called" - the highest state award of Russia, which by that time had been awarded to literally 20 people. The order that Heydar Aliyev was awarded on the occasion of his 80th birthday, unfortunately, was never presented to him personally, was transferred to his family posthumously. On the day of the funeral, without exaggeration, all of Baku saw off its leader. Yes, not only Baku but all Azerbaijan mourned this outstanding person. Millions of people around the world bowed their heads in memory of Heydar Aliyev," he said.
As Gusman said, it is deeply symbolic, although, of course, formally it is a coincidence that December 12, the day of his death, coincided with the day of the abolition of martial law in Azerbaijan: "On December 12, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, crowned with the great victory of Azerbaijan in the Patriotic War, was legally completed. I am sure that among the many extremely important covenants of Heydar Aliyev, his sincere dreams, there was a covenant that the native lands of Azerbaijan be liberated, the occupation stopped and the refugees could return to their native lands," the TASS first deputy director-general said.
"Thanks to the purposeful policy of President Ilham Aliyev, his determination as the Commander-in-Chief, the efforts of the Azerbaijani army, the entire Azerbaijani people, the covenants of Heydar Aliyev are destined to come true. Tears welling up in me when I saw Ilham Aliyev standing in front of his father's monument on November 8 after the liberation of the city of Shusha, when he was able to report with honor to Heydar Aliyev that the oath he had taken had come true. Karabakh is Azerbaijan and an exclamation mark,"