BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 7. Heydar Aliyev was one of the few leaders who could confront Armenian nationalism, which turned to be fatal for the USSR, Igor Korotchenko, a political expert and editor-in-chief of Russia’s National Defense magazine, told Trend.
The political expert pointed out that Heydar Aliyev was a great personality in the history of Azerbaijan.
“Back in the days of the Soviet Union, Heydar Aliyev was holding one of the key positions, the post of First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers. Before that, he had successfully led the State Security Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR. Then, he headed Azerbaijan and was further appointed to higher posts in the Soviet Union for his fruitful work. I'm deeply convinced that if Heydar Aliyev had headed the Soviet Union, the country would probably exist today and take the leading positions in the world. But, because of Gorbachev, who was considering Heydar Aliyev as one of his rivals, Aliyev was dismissed. Heydar Aliyev was possibly one of the few leaders who could confront the Armenian nationalism, which became fatal for the multinational state of the USSR,” Korotchenko said.
He noted that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan found itself on the verge of losing its statehood and independence under the reign of the populists from Azerbaijani Popular Front Party.
“At this critical moment, the Azerbaijani people requested Heydar Aliyev to come to power and lead the country, which was subjected to a destructive war by Armenia and Armenian separatists. Actually, this was a turning point in the history of the country. Heydar Aliyev not only revived the Azerbaijani statehood, but also established a new energy strategy for the benefit of the country and its people. It was under Heydar Aliyev's leadership that the country signed significant contracts that made Azerbaijan a reliable energy supplier to the world market and one of the guarantors of the EU energy security,” Korotchenko added.
The political expert underscored the respect of millions of Russian people towards Heydar Aliyev.
“President Vladimir Putin, both at public and private events, has always emphasized his respect for Heydar Aliyev's personality. Russia remembers this outstanding political figure, who left a deep mark in the history of the Soviet Union,” the political analyst said.
Korotchenko pointed out that the 100th anniversary of the great
national leader in 2023 should be marked solemnly
not only in Azerbaijan, but also in Russia.
“Heydar Aliyev is a worthy politician in the history of new Azerbaijan. I think that the 100th anniversary of the his birth will be solemnly marked at the highest level in Russia as well. Of course, the expert community of public figures will also participate there in order to once again honor the memory of this outstanding person,” the political analyst said.