BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 10. I have always been greatly impressed by the political wisdom of Heydar Aliyev, as well as the will with which he laid the foundations of the new independent state of Azerbaijan, Petar Stoyanov, ex-president of Bulgaria, told Trend.
Stoyanov was sharing his memories of Heydar Aliyev as part of the joint Trend-NGIC project titled "The lasting legacy of Heydar Aliyev".
"In December 1999 as a relatively young President of my country, I visited Baku at the invitation of President Heydar Aliyev. We had extremely fruitful and enjoyable discussions, including a one-on-one conversation. We discussed in detail our bilateral relations, major aspects of the further development of our cooperation and the strengthening of friendship between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan," he said.
As the ex-president pointed out, in this challenging period, President Heydar Aliyev demonstrated that he was a visionary.
"His goal was not only to resolve the current problems of the country within his mandate, but also to lay the best foundations for its development in the next 40-50-100 years. Due to his recognition of the excellent strategic geopolitical position of his country, Azerbaijan established its role as an important factor in the "TRACECA" program for the Restoration of the Historic Silk Route. I think that this quality of a visionary was the most important element of his leadership of Azerbaijan," Stoyanov noted.
He added that, despite the difference in age and experience, it was always a pleasure to communicate with President Heydar Aliyev as he was an intelligent, balanced and informed communicator.
"I enjoyed talking to him because he had invaluable experience and a vision for the future of the post-Soviet space. He felt true love for my country which is similar in size and close in its traditions to Azerbaijan, but more importantly, because of the future common tasks we were facing," Stoyanov said.
The ex-president noted that it is not by chance that the Azerbaijani people call Heydar Aliyev the national leader.
"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Heydar Aliyev played a decisive role in the development and well-being of his country: from the historic achievements in gaining independence, through the unique energy projects, attracting major foreign investments and the revival of the Great Silk Road. All these historical achievements of Azerbaijan are connected with the name and personality of Heydar Aliyev," he concluded.