Tokyo, 15 June, /AJMEDIA/
31 years have passed since June 15, 1993, which was written in our history as National Liberation Day. This is not just a calendar holiday for the people of Azerbaijan, but a day of great historical importance. With the return to power of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan was saved from a deep socio-political and economic crisis, and unshakable foundations of development were laid.
The people of Azerbaijan have been celebrating the National Liberation Day for four years with high spirits and a sense of national pride as a victorious nation. Our brave Army led by the victorious Supreme Commander, President Ilham Aliyev ended the 30-year occupation in 44 days. Also, as a result of successful anti-terrorist measures, the sovereignty of our country was fully ensured.
Against the background of the new realities, the Russian peacekeepers leaving Karabakh and the liberation of four Kazakh villages are the effective results of a well-thought-out policy. Currently, the process of delimitation and demarcation of Azerbaijan-Armenia borders has started. The grand Victory and other great successes we won in the forty-four-day Patriotic War originate from the National Liberation Day.
The Great Leader’s greatest wish was to see Karabakh free and Azerbaijan intact. I remember these words spoken by national leader Heydar Aliyev with great confidence and foresight during one of his meetings with internally displaced persons: “I wish to go to Shusha together with you. We will go, believe me we will go. Shusha is the eye of Azerbaijan, a source of pride for every Azerbaijani. Shusha is a symbol of our culture and history. Shusha is dear to everyone. But not only Shusha, Lachin mountains are also dear. We can never live without Lachin. A beautiful city like Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Gubadli, the springs of Kalbajar, the hot water of Kalbajar – we cannot live without them.”
The dreams of the Great Leader came true after 27 years, President Ilham Aliyev fulfilled his father’s will. Even today, the spirit of our National Leader is happy: our liberated homelands are being restored, life is returning to Karabakh.
Heydar Aliyev’s return to power in Azerbaijan on June 15, 1993 is a fateful event and a glorious page of pride in the history of our statehood. At the same time, this historical day is characterized by the fact that Azerbaijan escaped from recession and entered the path of progress, was recognized as a state with an independent policy on the world scale, and took its rightful place in the international world. The name of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who returned to power at the call of the people, is written in history as the savior and guarantor of our independence.
Azerbaijan, which regained its state independence at the end of the 20th century, was faced with great dangers – the danger of disintegration, destruction, and being erased from the political map of the world. In June 1993, the power crisis in the country reached its climax, chaos and anarchy were dragging Azerbaijan into the abyss. The conflict, which rose to the level of a civil war, directly targeted not only our state independence, but even our national existence. The years 1991-1993 are remembered in the modern history of our country as a period of recklessness, arbitrariness, and adventurous experiments. Unable to evaluate the events correctly, the current government, which was involved in the chair fight, was losing its influence among the population day by day, and the government crisis was deepening.
There was a general opinion in the society that Heydar Aliyev is the only person capable of getting the country out of this difficult situation. Our people insisted on inviting their genius son to power. On June 9, 1993, Great Leader Heydar Aliyev came to Baku from Nakhchivan, following the call of the people, and after a few days he took the reins of power. It was literally a turning point in the fate of our country.
The Great Leader characterized the situation in the first years of our independence as follows: “Azerbaijan was facing a great danger. Because the internal forces against Azerbaijan’s independence were strong, and some circles in other countries were not satisfied with the complete independence of a country with great geographical and strategic importance and rich natural resources like Azerbaijan. Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan and the weakening and defeat of Azerbaijan as a result, as well as the internal power struggle, brought down the forces that came to power in June 1992 after a year, and the people themselves.
Heydar Aliyev, who undertook the rescue mission, not only saved Azerbaijan from real dangers, but also determined the future development strategy and took the first important steps in this direction. As a result of his intense activity and efforts, socio-political stability was established in the country, illegal armed groups, which were a source of great danger, were neutralized, and reforms leading to socio-economic revival were initiated. As a result of this policy calculated for the future and concrete results, it was also possible to stop the ongoing aggression of the Armenian armed forces on our lands.
Heydar Aliyev, who was elected the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan on June 15, said: “My life and activity will be dedicated only and only to the preservation of the independence of Azerbaijan and the recovery of our country from this difficult situation.” In order to solve the problems, the National Leader focused all his efforts on ensuring civil solidarity and stability in the country and succeeded in this, and began to create solid foundations for future development. The first important step taken in this direction was the signing of the “Contract of the Century” in September 1994. In the following period, under the initiative and leadership of the Great Leader, the construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas pipelines was started. During the reign of President Ilham Aliyev, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which connects Asia with Europe, and the Southern Gas Corridor, which delivers Azerbaijani gas to Europe, were added to these transnational projects.
In November 1995, a new Constitution was adopted, which forms the basis of a democratic, legal state. At the same time, the formation of the normative-legal framework for carrying out the necessary reforms was started. Without going into details, it can be said that the Liberation Day is the day when the foundation of Azerbaijan’s freedom from chaos, anarchy, violence, arbitrariness, and the danger of disintegration was laid and the destiny of our country changed.
The Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, who ensured the confident development of Azerbaijan as an independent state and successfully emerged from the most difficult trials of history, played the role of a savior and founding Leader in the truest sense of the word. It is no exaggeration to say that independent Azerbaijan is the masterpiece of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. The day when the foundation stone of this work was laid – June 15 is one of the brightest pages of our history.
One of the most important services of the National Leader to our people and statehood is to train a worthy successor who will ensure Azerbaijan’s progress on the path of progress in the future. As a result of the wise policy of President Ilham Aliyev, who successfully implemented the ideas of the Great Leader, our country is developing dynamically, occupies a worthy place in the world political arena, and our national interests are firmly protected at all levels. Azerbaijan is known as a powerful country with its own principled position and an independent policy.
In recent years, in the light of Heydar Aliyev’s ideas, Azerbaijan has gone through a great development path, and our wishes and dreams have become reality. Today’s Azerbaijan is a free, independent country with guaranteed territorial integrity and sovereignty, which the Great Leader wanted to see. The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan are among the 50 most powerful armies in the world, surpassing the armies of many countries in terms of technical equipment. The Patriotic War of Azerbaijan, especially the unparalleled Shusha operation, is studied in the military schools of the world’s leading countries.
Our Victory in the Patriotic War created new realities in the region. Many states and power centers of the world accept these realities and reckon with them. Azerbaijan dictates the agenda of the post-war period. President Ilham Aliyev also shows endless determination and perseverance in construction work. In parallel with the necessary infrastructure facilities in the liberated territories, residential complexes are also built and put into use, and the foundations of new ones are laid. Until now, hundreds of families have returned to their homeland, and 140,000 people are expected to be resettled in the liberated territories in the next three years. Heydar Aliyev’s ideas and development strategy are the foundation of the magnificent restoration and construction works carried out in the liberated lands.
Our people are sure that Azerbaijan, the leading state of the South Caucasus region, will achieve great success in the future and increase its power even more. Because there is a President of our country like Ilham Aliyev, who has a strong political will and who defends the interests of his people and state with determination and courage.
Heydar Aliyev’s peak in the history of Azerbaijan is becoming clearer as the years pass. Our esteemed nation always remembers with gratitude the incomparable services of its eldest son. Heydar Aliyev’s ideas are leading Azerbaijan from peak to peak, from victory to victory.
Vugar Aghayev
