Heydar Aliyev, a wise leader and genius builder of modern Azerbaijan

The 93rd birthday of Heydar Aliyev, the national leader of Azerbaijan, is marked in Azerbaijan on May 10.

Heydar Aliyev was a talented and prominent politician and public figure who devoted his life to prosperity and well-being of his nation.

The great leader led the country into the most, perhaps, a dramatic period of its history, and laid the foundations of a new Azerbaijani statehood.

As many as 35 years of the history of Azerbaijan beginning from the late 1960s and proceeding in the 21st century is connected to the name of great leader Heydar Aliyev.

For these years, he assumed the responsibility of Azerbaijan, saved the state and the nation of hard and strict tests of history, created an independent country that we call modern Azerbaijan now and its present realities, and laid a reliable foundation for its bright future.

The rebirth of the Azerbaijani people in all fields of public-political, economic and cultural life during these years is linked to the name of this great personality.

He holds a special place in the history of Azerbaijan, whose role in the fate of the nation is undeniable.

After Azerbaijan gained independence, Heydar Aliyev's Azerbaijanism idea became the basic one for the Azerbaijanis living both in the country and across the world.

"We all should unite around this idea," Aliyev said. "Azerbaijanism means preserving national identity, national and spiritual values, and at the same time enrichment them with universal values, as well as ensuring the development of any person.”

National leader Heydar Aliyev was a politician and a self-sufficient person. "I did that all by myself in my life!" was the leader's credo, evidencing of self-reliance, intelligence, morality and courage of the great leader.

Heydar Aliyev was elected president of Azerbaijan in a nationwide vote on October 3, 1993, and was reelected in 1998.

Heydar Aliyev survived the chaos and uncertainty which racked Azerbaijan during its first years of independence.

State building is hard work requiring a particular responsibility in approaching the commitments in this context.

Heydar Aliyev was well aware that the state building must begin with the "frame", with the fundamental structures and reforms, but not with decisions that would cause global public applause.

Building a modern state on a strong and solid foundation and on national values had been one of Heydar Aliyev's main goal.

Constructive activities in the armed forces, structural changes, unification of combat operations under a single leadership, new military techniques based on established practices had brought new quality to the Azerbaijani army as well.

Azerbaijan's oil strategy began to boom thanks to the fruitful activity of Heydar Aliyev, who has become one of the key contributors to Azerbaijan's rapid development.

"Contract of the Century" signed with the Western oil companies in Baku on September 20, 1994 was of vital importance for Azerbaijan and played a crucial role in the establishment of internal stability in the country, and achievement of success in foreign policy.

Heydar Aliyev, who spearheaded the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project, did much to attract huge western capitals to Azerbaijan, what created many new jobs and lead to the development of several fields. Foreign capitals immediately earned on the economic growth of Azerbaijan, which today is recognized as the highest in the former Soviet space.

Azerbaijan's foreign policy had also gone through radical changes in this period. Azerbaijan strengthened its place in international relations system by setting its short-term international goals, and signed major strategic contracts with European countries, the United States, newly independent states, Turkic states, Muslim world, Iran, Asia, Africa and South America. One of Heydar Aliyev’s most crucial foreign policy achievements was the accession of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe in 2001, and its integration into the European family.

Today his immortal ideas and wise policy is successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev. Under this farsighted policy, Azerbaijan is rapidly developing and gaining much reputation in the international arena day by day.

On this day the people of Azerbaijan pay tribute to the loving memory of Heydar Aliyev, the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, wise leader and genius personality.