The Azerbaijani delegation led by Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova, which, as we have reported, are in Russian Federation on a working visit for the events marking the centenary of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev have arrived at the State Duma of the RF Federal Assembly on 15 May where Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin welcomed Sahiba Gafarova.

The delegation viewed the exhibition The Role of Heydar Aliyev in Strengthening the Bilateral Azerbaijani-Russian Relations’ organised at the State Duma with the help from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in honour of the 100^th jubilee of Azerbaijan’s National Leader Heydar Aliyev. The stand has a rich display of photographs demonstrating various moments of the Great Leader’s life and work.

It was First Deputy Director General of the TASS Agency Mikhail Gusman who opened the exhibition.

Chair of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova spoke at the event. She greeted its participants and thanked for its high organisational level.

There are the leaders, Sahiba Gafarova continued, whose work goes beyond the boundaries of only one state, in that they visit the most decisive influence on society, state political and economic courses and a state’s significance in the system of international relations. Such national captains factor importantly in the histories of their peoples; on the other hand, they are capable of leaving their unique traces in global politics as well. Our National Leader Heydar Aliyev had been that kind of man exactly, Mrs Gafarova emphasised.

Heydar Aliyev’s election to the highest leadership post in Azerbaijan in 1969 marked a serious turning point in the history of the country. At the time, his purposeful and fruitful activity had set into motion tremendous serious steps taken towards transforming Azerbaijan into one of the leading republics of the Soviet Union.

Heydar Aliyev was one of the few leaders to enter the top echelon of power in the Soviet Union. At the end of 1982, he was appointed First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Cabinet of Ministers and elected to the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. As Ms Gafarova said there, Heydar Aliyev's name was linked to the radical modernisation of the economic and transport systems as well as the implementation of major infrastructure projects, most notably, the construction of the Baikal-Amur Mainline.

Besides, Heydar Aliyev contributed invaluably to the development of Azerbaijani statehood and played an exceptional role in the establishment and strengthening of Azerbaijan's independence and enhancing the country's international profile. The attainment of social and political stability in the early 1990s was followed by the drafting and adoption of the Constitution of the independent Azerbaijan directly under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev.

It is thanks to Heydar Aliyev that a democratic state governed by the rule of law was established and is progressing in Azerbaijan. The National Leader laid the foundations of the State's economic and energy policy and ensured Azerbaijan's engagement in large-scale transnational projects whilst the oil strategy elaborated to his direction cleared the ground for improving the national energy sector and developing the national economy in the long term, Mrs Gafarova went on.

The National Leader also defined the main vectors and priorities of our foreign political strategy whilst always being particularly mindful of building good neighbourhood and amity with Russia.

It was said then that Heydar Aliyev had attained efficient use of the whole potential available to further co-operation between our countries – economic, energy, humanitarian, cultural, academic and otherwise.

Right now, President Ilham Aliyev is materialising the ideas of Heydar Aliyev with success. As regards the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, they have evolved to alliance. All the precepts of the National Leader are being fulfilled successfully nowadays. Azerbaijan has become one of the stronger regional states as well as a dependable political and economic partner. The Leader of the Milli Majlis referred to the exceptional role of President Ilham Aliyev whose leadership had seen to its end one of the longest and most tragic conflicts in FSU: Azerbaijan had been able to liberate her lands from Armenian occupation and make her territorial integrity and sovereignty intact again in the course of the 44 days’ Patriotic War.

Azerbaijan is working her way tenaciously towards restoring her de-occupied lands and restoring the towns and villages sacked by the invaders, and all this is being done under the control of President Ilham Aliyev. Combined efforts are apace in order to ensure the peaceful and safe return of the erstwhile IDP to their native parts – in fulfilment of one of the chief wills of the outstanding leader Heydar Aliyev in whose bright memory, forever present in our people’s hearts, every Azerbaijani takes the perfectly-justifiable pride.

Chairman of the State Duma of the RF Federal Assembly Vyacheslav Volodin who spoke next voiced his thoughts about Great Leader Heydar Aliyev’s life and political work and praised his activities in the former USSR as well as the contribution he had made to the advancement of the Azerbaijani-Russian relations.

A leader of the State Duma faction Ghennady Zyuganov and Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to RF Polad Bulbuloghlu offered their kind recollections and heartfelt commentaries on the Great Leader.

Members of the State Duma, leaders of its other factions, members of the public and mass media people took part in the session as well.

With the event over, Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin and thanked him for the respect for the memory of Heydar Aliyev.

Besides, Mrs Gafarova and Mr Volodin exchanged opinions about a number of matters that arouse the interest of both sides.

The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis