The Diplomat
The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan held last Tuesday an Act of Commemoration to the National Leader Heydar Aliyev.
The Azerbaijani Ambassador, Ramiz Hasanov, summoned friends and members of the Azerbaijani community in Spain and stressed that “the progress and advances of modern Azerbaijan were directly related to the name of Heydar Aliyev, who devoted a great part of his life to the Azerbaijani people”.
The ambassador emphasised that Heydar Aliyev’s accession to power in 1969 turned Azerbaijan, which was going through a severe socio-economic crisis, into “one of the most advanced republics of the former Soviet Union. In the years 1970-1980, the foundations of state sovereignty and economic independence of modern Azerbaijan were laid.
Ramiz Hasanov also pointed out that in 1991-1993, the power crisis in Azerbaijan led the country into a situation of civil war. “Taking advantage of the situation, Armenia tried to divide Azerbaijan and take away its independence. Twenty percent of Azerbaijani territory was occupied; more than 1 million Azerbaijanis fell victim to Armenia’s policy of ethnic cleansing,” the ambassador said.
Ramiz Hasanov emphasised the fact that on 15 June 1993, “at the request of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev returned to power. Thanks to the clear political vision of the National Leader and his important experience of statesmanship, the young independent Republic, after achieving political and economic stability, entered a new period of development”. His great work was highly appreciated by the Azerbaijani people, who awarded Heydar Aliyev the high distinction of ‘National Leader of Azerbaijan’.
Ambassador Ramiz Hasanov ended his welcoming speech by stressing that “the greatest wishes of National Leader Heydar Aliyev were the liberation of the ancestral lands and the restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Heydar Aliyev’s wish and will were fulfilled by his worthy successor, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. Under his leadership, the Azerbaijani Army liberated the occupied Azerbaijani lands during the 44-day Patriotic War; the tricolour flag began to fly proudly again in the Azerbaijani lands, in the city of Shusha, the cradle of Azerbaijani culture. One of the greatest wishes of the National Leader expressed in his wise words ‘There is no Karabakh without Shusha and Azerbaijan without Karabakh’ came true: the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was guaranteed”.
