Today marks the birthday of the national leader of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev.
May 10 marks the 101st birth anniversary of Heydar Aliyev.
Heydar Alirza Aliyev was born in the city of Nakhchivan, Republic of Azerbaijan, on May 10, 1923.
In 1939, after graduating from Nakhchivan Pedagogical School, he entered the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute (present-day Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University), Faculty of Architecture, but the outbreak of World War II prevented him from completing his education.
In 1941–1944, Heydar Aliyev headed a secret division at the Archive Department of the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and then served as head of the General Department of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In May 1944, he was sent to work at state security bodies. After graduating from the USSR State Security Committee`s (KGB) Senior Staff Training School in Leningrad (presently St. Petersburg) in 1949-1950, Heydar Aliyev was appointed as department head at the State Security Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1950. In 1957, he graduated from Azerbaijan State University (presently Baku State University), Faculty of History. In 1958, Heydar Aliyev was appointed as head of the Counter-Intelligence Department of the State Security Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR and was promoted to deputy chairman of the State Security Committee in 1964.
In 1967, he was elected chairman of the State Security Committee under the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan SSR and was promoted to the rank of a major general. Heydar Aliyev was elected as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan at its Plenary Session held on July 12, 1969. For twenty-two years, Heydar Aliyev had been a member of the Supreme Soviets of the USSR and Azerbaijan SSR. From 1974 to 1979, he held the post of first deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers.
In October 1987, in protest at the policy pursued by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, namely Secretary General Mikhail Gorbachev, Heydar Aliyev resigned from his posts.
On January 21, immediately after the Soviet troops committed the bloody tragedy in Baku on the night of January 19–20, 1990, Heydar Aliyev visited the office of Azerbaijan`s representation in Moscow. He demanded punishment for the organizers and perpetrators of the crime against the people of Azerbaijan. In protest at the USSR leadership`s hypocritical policy towards the conflict that broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh, Heydar Aliyev left the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in July, 1991.
Having returned to Baku on July 20, 1990, Heydar Aliyev left for Nakhchivan two days later, where he was elected as a member of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1991, Heydar Aliyev was elected chairman of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan and, in accordance with the legislation, deputy chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He held this post until 1993.
On November 21, 1992, Heydar Aliyev was elected as chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party at its founding conference in Nakhchivan.
In May-June 1993, when Azerbaijan was on the verge of civil war and faced the risk of losing independence, the people of Azerbaijan demanded that Heydar Aliyev be brought to power. The then leadership of Azerbaijan was forced to invite Heydar Aliyev to Baku. On June 15, 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected as chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and on June 24, he took office as President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Heydar Aliyev was elected President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in a nationwide vote held on October 3, 1993.
In a high turnout election on October 11, 1998, Heydar Aliyev was re-elected as the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan with 76.1 percent of votes. Having agreed to run for the presidential office in the October 15, 2003 election, he then withdrew his candidacy in favor of Ilham Aliyev in connection with health problems.
On December 12, 2003, the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, died at Cleveland Hospital in the United States of America, and was laid to rest at the Alley of Honors in Baku on December 15.
Heydar Aliyev was awarded numerous medals, received the title of Hero of the Socialist Labor twice, as well as high awards of foreign countries, and honorary titles of prestigious universities worldwide.
On September 29, 2022, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree declaring 2023 the Year of Heydar Aliyev in Azerbaijan. With another decree signed by the head of state on November 28, 2022, the Action Plan for declaring 2023 the Year of Heydar Aliyev in the Republic of Azerbaijan was approved. According to the Action Plan, various events are held in the country and abroad in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Great Leader’s birth.
National Leader Heydar Aliyev’s greatest wish was the liberation of Karabakh from occupation and the restoration of our territorial integrity. This wish and will of the National Leader were fulfilled by his worthy follower, the President of Azerbaijan, the Victorious Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev.
Head of State Ilham Aliyev gave our people the joy of the next victory on September 19, 2023. By raising our national flag in our ancient and eternal lands—Khankandi, Khojaly, Khojavand, Aghdara, and Askaran—he fulfilled the wishes of our people. Thus, the sovereignty of independent Azerbaijan was fully restored.
At present, Karabakh and East Zangazur, which have been liberated from occupation, are being rebuilt, the territories are cleared of landmines, and large-scale restoration and reconstruction work is being carried out.
