Russia, Moscow, 12 May / Trend corr R. Agayev/ "Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev was a great personality, great politician and a person with large governmental scale. We all know what was happening to our country and people, when we remained without this distinguished person for several years. Had he not returned to Azerbaijani administration in 1993, the sovereignty of this country would have been obscure," Polad Bulbuloglu, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia, said on 10 May during opening ceremony of bas-relief of Heydar Aliyev, all-nation Azerbaijani leader and the architect of today's sovereign Azerbaijan, due to his 85th anniversary.
According to Bulbuloglu, Heydar Aliyev, who the very next day after 20 January 1990 went to Azerbaijan's diplomatic representation in Moscow and stated that bringing of Soviet troops to Baku and massacre of peaceful population was a bloody crime, needed to be engraved in memories. "It is not a secret that in January 1990 Soviet troops were brought to Baku. We were a part of the Soviet Union then and nobody could assume that the Soviet Army will slaughter its own people. The next day, 21 January 1990, Heydar Aliyev, who was at that time in disfavourable terms with the Soviet administration, came here to the building of present Embassy and gave political estimate to the event stating that it was a bloody crime," Ambassador said.
Bulbuloglu said that Heydar Aliyev was the first one who gave a daring estimate to the event. "He knew the might of the totalitarian system, but nevertheless he had the courage to raise his voice against it. It was a brave heroic deed, because in January 1990 no one could suppose that USSR would split. Therefore, it was a challenge to the all totalitarian machine, the complete system. That was a challenge of a heroic man, who as a great politician at once estimated and realized the future - the country where Army slaughters its own people cannot further persist," he said.
The size of bas-relief of Heydar Aliyev is 160х105sm. It was ordered by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia and Iskanadar Khalilov rendered his assistance.
The bas-relief made of bronze on granite was made by the sculptor Natig Aliyev and is dedicated to Heydar Aliyev's speech made at Azerbaijan's permanent representation in Moscow on 21 January 1990 due to the tragedy of 20 January.