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December 11, 2017

Presentation of the three-volume novel-study “Heydar Aliyev: The Personality and Time” takes place in Moscow

Presentation of the three-volume novel-study “Heydar Aliyev: The Personality and Time” by Elmira Akhundova - Azerbaijan’s Honoured Journalist, an MP - took place at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia, December 12. Printed at “Canon-Plus” Print House, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, this three-volume work contains interesting facts about different periods of this man of genius’s life and activities, his interviews, and archive materials.

 

On the same day, renowned political and public figures, friends of Heydar Aliyev, ambassadors of friendly countries came to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia, to remember the National Leader.

 

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloghlu, opening the evening, said that according to traditions, friends of Heydar Aliyev get together in the building of the embassy – where he had been many times – on the day of remembering the national leader of the people of Azerbaijan. This time, on the day of remembering eminent state figure Heydar Aliyev, presentation of a new three-volume book of Elmira Akhundova - who has spent years studying the National Leader’s legacy - will take place.   

 

P. Bulbuloghlu said: “There are some people who decide a lot. When we say that Heydar Aliyev is the architect of the contemporary Azerbaijan, we mean it. After the collapse of the USSR, when people were extremely anxious and feeling themselves in a desperate situation, it turned out that people who came to power in Azerbaijan had no clear idea of how to deal with the power. In a short span of time, the country became very close to the condition of a civil war. At such a time, the people appealed to Heydar Aliyev, asking him to return to Baku. Formation of the contemporary Azerbaijan started from the moment of Heydar Aliyev’s return to the leadership of the republic.”

 

The diplomat noted that the National Leader has played a great role also in his formation as a personality and a composer. P. Bulbuloghlu said: “I have worked as the culture minister in Heydar Aliyev’s government. This was a great school, which will remain with me as long as I live. Thanks to Heydar Aliyev, a whole pleiad of cultural and art figures were educated in Azerbaijan.”

 

Elmira Akhundova, the author of the book, thanked Vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva and Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Assistant to the First Vice-president of Azerbaijan Anar Alakbarov for the support provided in the implementation of this large-scale project. She said that this version of the six-volume work “Heydar Aliyev: Personality and Time” has been prepared for readers in foreign countries, including Russian. Facts so far unknown about Heydar Aliyev have been gathered in the book. The novel has been written on the basis of archival and official documents, as well as recordings of hundreds of conversations of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people with his friends and relatives. The book’s author said: “I remember January of 1991. We had been seated in a rather small flat in Nakhchivan. He was talking about his past, his relations with Mikhail Gorbachov, USSR’s having been doomed, Azerbaijan’s becoming soon independent and the necessity of all of us working hard to this end. I was looking at Heydar Aliyev, not being capable of fully understanding what he was talking about. At the time, no one probably could have predicted that Azerbaijan’s former communist leader, a member of the Political Bureau would soon surprise the whole world. He will be one of the first to abolish the Soviet Power in Nakhchivan, restore the anthem and flag of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, and rescue Nakhchivan from famine, cold and occupation. And in three years, he will return to power at the request of the people, prevent a civil war, stop the country’s separation, build a battle-worthy army, sign oil contracts, and declare first in the former Soviet Union private ownership right to land.

 

Answering the question as to what was the secret behind the success of the book’s main character, E. Akhundova emphasized that Heydar Aliyev could change depending on the historical situation, and did this in a very organic fashion. She said: “The primary concern for him was national interests of the country, and its people. My book has two characters - Heydar Aliyev and the 20th century. As my main character, this era too was tragic, controversial, multi-dimensional, and bright. Heydar Aliyev’s life path was very difficult. On the path of destiny, he had faced ups and downs, saw the collapse of the ideals he had believed in with all his heart and soul while young, and witness the separation of the country he had served faithfully. He had to enter a new era and start his life from scratch. Extended for several historical periods, this life reflected the whole 20th century. Heydar Aliyev was a happy human, and the biggest thing making him happy was a renewed Azerbaijan, the yield of his efforts.”

 

Chairperson of the Russian Federation Duma’s International Affairs Committee Leonid Slutski thanked author of the three-volume book Elmira Akhundova for the efforts made towards creation of this book. L.Slutski said: “This is a nice book. I assume majority of the people sitting in this hall have already read the books from the series of “Lives of eminent people”. Nevertheless, distinguished for its profoundness, this book is about the life of the person who is the builder of the contemporary Azerbaijan. One cannot imagine today’s flourishing, independent and successful Azerbaijan separate from the person who has been its founding father. It was this person thanks to whom Azerbaijan has formed as an independent state. Reading such books, we understand that the author of these lines is a person of a delicate heart, who very much loves her character. This is a very monumental work. You should read it, rather than going through pages, and be in contact with a great personality, whose influence we have been feeling far from the boundaries of Azerbaijan. Now his legacy is being continued by President Ilham Aliyev, and Azerbaijan has made a great leap upward just like Heydar Aliyev had envisioned. Azerbaijan has been steadily moving forward on a regular development path both in economy, social policy, cooperating with other countries, including Russia.”

 

Slutski expressed confidence that very interesting books will be devoted yet to Heydar Aliyev. The politician underscored: “Nevertheless, this three-volume book devoted to the great son of Azerbaijan will always have its special place among them.” The deputy of the State Duma thanked also Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloghlu for his successful diplomatic activity towards expanding the bilateral relations between the two countries.

 

President of the Russian Academy of Art Zurab Tsereteli, professor of the Moscow State International Relations Institute, president of the Russian Political Science Association Oksana Gaman-Golutvina, president of the Russian Oil and Gas Industrialists Association Gennady Shmal, Russian Federation’s Honoured Artist Nikas Safronov, and president of the Georgian Association for “Dialogue of Cultures - 21” delivered a speech at the presentation ceremony.

 

The three-volume work “Heydar Aliyev: The Personality and Time” is the first big work about national leader Heydar Aliyev printed in Moscow. In the preface to the book, People’s Writer of Kazakhstan Oljas Suleymenov wrote : “This book by E. Akhundova’s has been created from love. We need such books: they help educate a new generation of leaders. The unique experience of Heydar Aliyev who had been the leader of two states in one country has special value.”

 

Writer-columnist Elmira Akhundova has been honoured with a state prize for the six-volume work “Heydar Aliyev: The Personality and Time”. 


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