Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev was born on 10 May 1923 in the city of Nakhchivan of Azerbaijan. In 1939, after graduating from the Nakhchivan Pedagogical School he studied at the architectural department of the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute (now the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy). The incipient war impeded to complete his education.

Since 1941, Heydar Aliyev heads the department at the People Commissariat of Internal Affairs of Nakhchivan ASSR and on 1944 was sent to work at the state security bodies. Heydar Aliyev, working since that time in the security bodies, since 1964 held the post of deputy chairman, and since 1967 – chairman of the Committee of State Security under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan Republic, and he was conferred the rank of lieutenant general. In these years, he received special higher education in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), and in 1957, he graduated from the history department of Azerbaijan State University.

Being elected at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan in July 1969 as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev heads the Republic. In December 1982, Heydar Aliyev has been elected as Alternate member of Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Soviet Union, and appointed at the post of the First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR and became one of the leaders of the USSR. During twenty years, Heydar Aliyev was the Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and for five years was Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In October 1987, Heydar Aliyev, as a sign of protest against the policy pursued by Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and personally the Secretary General Michael Gorbachev, resigned from his post.

In bound with the tragedy, committed on 20 January 1990 in Baku by the soviet troops, appearing on the next day at the Azerbaijan Representation in Moscow with a statement, demanded to punish the organizers and executors of the crime, committed against the people of Azerbaijan. As a sign of protest against the hypocritical policy of leadership of the USSR, in connection with the critical conflict accrued in Nagorno Karabakh, in July 1991, he left the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

By return in July 1990 to Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev has lived at first in Baku, then in Nakhchivan, and on the same year he was elected as the Deputy to the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan. In 1991-1993s, he held the post of Chairman of the Supreme Mejlis of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In 1992, at the constituent congress of the “Yeni Azerbaijan” Party in Nakhchivan, Heydar Aliyev, was elected as the Chairman of the Party.

In May-June 1993, when, as the result of extreme tension of the governmental crisis, the country was at the verge of civil war and loss of independence, the people of Azerbaijan demanded to bring to power Heydar Aliyev. The then leaders of Azerbaijan were obliged to officially invite Heydar Aliyev to Baku. On 15 June 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected as the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan, and on 24 July – on resolution of the Milli Mejlis, he managed to fulfill powers of the President of Azerbaijan Republic.

On October 3, 1993, as the result of nationwide voting, Heydar Aliyev was elected as the President of Azerbaijan Republic. On October 11, 1998, having garnered at the elections, passed in high activeness of the population, 76,1 percent of the votes, he was re-elected as the President of Azerbaijan Republic. Heydar Aliyev, giving his consent to be nominated as a candidate at the 15 October 2003 presidential elections, Heydar Aliyev relinquished to run at the elections in connection with health problems.

Heydar Aliyev was conferred a number of international awards, the title of honorary doctor of numerous countries, and other high honors. He was conferred for four times with the Lenin Order, the Order of Krasnaya Zvezda and many medals, and twice Hero of Socialist Labor, was awarded by Orders and medals of many foreign states.

Historical destiny of Azerbaijan, covering the period of over the thirty latest years, was inseparably linked with the name of Heydar Aliyev. Revival of the people during these years in all spheres of its socio-political, economic and cultural life is connected just with his name.

During the said period of his leadership, Heydar Aliyev helped his native land Azerbaijan, the progress that he persistently strived towards, the rich culture, great historical past with which he was proud of, and on the coming generations on whom he was concerned, to overcome as a state heavy and sharp ordeals of time.

Being an outstanding politician and statesmen, indisputable leader of the nation, he was a live legend, and therefore the Heydar Aliyev phenomena always attracted attention, the admiration rising political activity of this nationwide leader of the Azerbaijanis of world was widely covered both in the Republican and world press.

In June 1993, when the people of Azerbaijan believed that the national statehood was on the edge of fall, when there began the hardest days, it insistently demanded change of the existing power, and since that time relied its destiny on Heydar Aliyev. Heydar Aliyev, seeing misfortune of his nation, accepted the invitation and returned to great politics in Azerbaijan. The people met the return of Heydar Aliyev with a hope and joy, and this day went down the history of the independent Azerbaijan as the Day of National Salvation.

In the late 1960s, during his first assumption of power, Azerbaijan was experiencing a period of economic and cultural fall as well. At that time, just with coming of Heydar Aliyev there was observed intensive rise in all spheres of the life of society, development of national spirit and progress of morality.

After return to power, Heydar Aliyev, due to his political ability could salvage the country from the threat of civil war, socio-political separation, and, embodying in him, in his strong personality the goal and idea of the society, he could unite his native people around common ideology, instill in it the sense of trust in morrow.

During these years, just Heydar Aliyev, as a true leader, could resolutely bring to the notice of world the truth on Azerbaijan. Only after return of Heydar Aliyev to power, Azerbaijan could realize its geopolitical opportunities. Due to the political talent of Heydar Aliyev, the threat of isolation of Azerbaijan from the world community was overcome.

Head of Azerbaijan always distinguished with his word, authority, and influence from the standpoint of impact on the processes proceeding on the world political arena. Inexhaustible energy of Heydar Aliyev, deserving nationwide love, inspired the people for new successes.

Thanks to the bright political talent of Heydar Aliyev – one of the historical personalities of Azerbaijan that in the junction of the two centuries and two Millenniums, preserving its national-moral values, confidently stepped down the Third Millennium. Having overcome all the obstacles, and despite the difficulties, the talent of Heydar Aliyev helped Azerbaijan to survive in upheavals of the extremely complicated time and hold a worthy place both in the region and in the whole world.

Heydar Aliyev, demonstrating in the extremely hard period that serves the nation, realized the mission that could not and cannot realize many politicians, thanks to his inherent ability to respond to the actual challenges of the modern world, forever held a worthy place among the prominent politicians of the XX and XXI centuries.

Heydar Aliyev, as one of the unique statesmen of our people, along his complicated life always thought on the people and Motherland. His heart beat in the name of strengthening of the independence of Azerbaijan, for happiness of his nation. As the head of state, Heydar Aliyev, in the most complicated time for Azerbaijan showed unprecedented selflessness in the name of its salvation, could save his country from misfortunes.

Due to a number of unique nature-gifted features, Heydar Aliyev, as a farseeing personality, could foresee course of the historical events, demonstrated a truly patriotic position while adopting decisions with extreme significance for the national history, could undertake resolute actions. The resoluteness, peculiar to his personality, often found its reflection in the ideas, extemporized during his appearances before the audience. Reports and speeches of Heydar Aliyev, which, being founded on iron logic, had extraordinary impact, are bright expression of the depth and width of his philosophical and political vision.

As head of the Azerbaijani state, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev holds an exceptional position in the centuries-old history of our statehood. Heydar Aliyev’s activity, form the point of view of its significance, goes far beyond the borders of Azerbaijan. The processes, proceeding currently not only in Azerbaijan and but also in the entire post-soviet space, as well as in the world, cannot be presented without personality and activity of Heydar Aliyev. The period covering over 30 years of state building, economic rebirth, political consciousness, political life in the modern Azerbaijan, is connected with the name and practical activity of Heydar Aliyev, with an inexhaustible talent, encyclopedic knowledge, large world vision, being a historical personality, prominent politician, and concrete deals realized by him. These complicated processes were reflected in his practical activity and philosophic ideology – the philosophy of national revival.

Heydar Aliyev was a great philosopher and thinker of the present. The philosophy of Azerbaijanism, founded and developed by him, determined special role of Azerbaijan in the present world, rests in the basis of national statehood, created a firm base for solidarity of the World Azerbaijanis. The problems of national revival, which in the last century seriously worried the Azerbaijani intelligentsia, thanks to Heydar Aliyev, in these years, turned to a strategic state policy, from the science, sociology and philosophy – to a practical and political plane.

Thanks to his bright political wisdom and talent, Heydar Aliyev created a new Azerbaijan, its current realities and defined the path leading to future. Just therefore, the period of history of Azerbaijan from 1969 up to date was closely connected with the name of Heydar Aliyev and went down our history as Heydar Aliyev’s epoch. The major content of this epoch, from the standpoint of further historical destiny of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijanism.

Path of Azerbaijan leading to construction of an independent state, in essence, started since 1969 – after his coming to power. In this sense, the brightest pages of Azerbaijanism were written just in these years. In the frame of the then ideology, Heydar Aliyev could – let it be even in the form not contradicting the existing system - not only prevent full oppression of the national spirit of Azerbaijan, on the contrary, make maximum use of the opportunities on the way of his raise.

In this sense, the next period of coming by Heydar Aliyev to leadership of the Republic is perceived as start of the national self-consciousness, return to the origins. The major ideological-political trend of the philosophy of Heydar Aliyev management, history of which just begins from this period, contains large extent of all forms and means of the national self-expression of the people, strengthening sense of national pride and realization of quick strategy pf development, able to raise the national conscience. Since the beginning of his leadership in the Republic, it became a tradition to regularly celebrate the jubilees of the prominent personalities of Azerbaijan, that created foundation to raise national spirit, national self-conscience, closely connected with the nationwide problems of the Azerbaijani people, returning to the people its historical memory, realization of the idea of independent statehood.

The work carried out by Heydar Aliyev while leading Azerbaijan in 1969-82 released national self-consciousness from the fetters of previous ideological system and ensured boundless rising of national sprit on the base of such fundamental principles as giving historical memory back to the people, and created favorable conditions for the idea of national statehood our people had been maturing for many years to turn into the great driving force.

Coming to power in Azerbaijan, which because of being attributed to one of the USSR’s provinces, was in late 60s behind others in all spheres of social and economic life, the republic where negative trends had taken deep roots, and where latent competition for power gradually intensifying had taken bad shape undermining national and spiritual unity of the people, the new leader first prevented collapse of economic potential of the republic, possibility of negative impact of the recession in social and political life upon moral and psychological state of the people.

As cosmopolitan atmosphere prevailed in the Republic then, not only no serious steps were taken to train national personnel, develop and use national language, staff officials of Azerbaijani origin, on the contrary, such initiatives were resolutely suppressed putting obstacles to growing personnel having national consciousness and mentality.

There was a need to find a way out of this complicated situation in the Republic whose economy had entered the phase of deep and long crisis, work out fundamentally new approaches to ensure its economic development, conduct cardinal structural reforms in the economy, apply new methods of economic management and encouragement. Heydar Aliyev was confident that the foundation of a nation’s political independence is conditioned by its economic freedom.

The negative factors prevailing at those times because of lack of the national idea and leading to both economic and cultural decay were eliminated with Heydar Aliyev’s coming to power. As a result of his unexhausted activity, the years 1970-1985 constituted the brightest pages in the chronicles of creation of Azerbaijan by the scale of changed occurred, character of cardinal reforms in social and economic spheres and transition to qualitatively new stage of the people’s living standard.

Today’s state sovereignty and economic independence of Azerbaijan, the process of widening of its foreign economic links and deeper integration into the global economy are based on the potential whose foundation was laid by Heydar Aliyev as early as 1970-1980s.

Drawing attention in Heydar Aliyev’s strategic program of statehood is the following feature regarding the ideology of Azerbaijanism: moral, artistic and esthetic revival were realized here within the single flow combined with progress achieved in economy, industry and construction, as well as improvement of the people’s living standard and mass enthusiasm.

Since 70s, this progress - created owing to existing economic potential as the next phase of the economic development of Azerbaijan - had inwardly prepared the country for historically necessary struggle for freedom. The large scale of liberation movement in late 80s early 90s became possible due to the economic growth achieved at Heydar Aliyev times and formation of national fighting spirit ready to immediately take the historical chance.

While in many other republics of the Soviet Union were observed the totalitarian system’s strong pressure, threats and persecutions against workers of science and culture, intellectuals, Heydar Aliyev managed – owing to his fearlessness and firm will – to create in Azerbaijan favorable conditions for creative persons to freely think, fully realize their creative plans, and latently search for ways to national and moral principles ensuring sovereignty and independence in the history of Azerbaijan statehood.

Exactly in these years, the large-scale works were done in Baku on municipal improvements: a number of architectural complexes, administrative centers, palaces, institutes, publishing houses, schools and many other buildings beautified the city.

It was exactly Heydar Aliyev’s initiative due to which it became possible to restore a lot of monuments of architecture. He was well aware that immortalization in monuments of great persons in the history of Azerbaijan would have extremely positive impact on strengthening of the national self-consciousness of the people.

Thanks to the care Heydar Aliyev showed of our culture and history thus demonstrating deep respect to them, majestic monuments for outstanding persons bearing the idea of the national self-consciousness of our people were erected, and home-museums for each great historical persons were established in the most attractive sites of Baku.

One of the Heydar Aliyev’s far-seeing steps was his initiative to send young Azerbaijani people to study in prestigious higher educational establishments of the former Soviet Union for them to acquire knowledge and specialties necessary for the future independent country. With rising scientific and human potential in Azerbaijan, the realization of the national and spiritual values of our people became a reality.

One of the factors conditioned revival of Azerbaijan under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev in 1969-1982 was particular attention paid to development of education in the republic giving preference to youth’s education in native language.

In addition, to expand international ties of Azerbaijan in scientific and technical, economic and cultural sphere, various related events used to be arranged on a Union and international scale, while in former Soviet republics used to be organized Days of Azerbaijan’s culture and arts. All this created a solid foundation for establishment of links between Azerbaijan and foreign countries and Azerbaijanis living there, and ensured self-consciousness of the Azerbaijanis as a nation having its own historical and cultural traditions.

It was the period when articles, which could non be appeared in print even in Moscow or St. Petersburg because of being the samples of active civil position, could see the light of the day in Baku periodicals under Heydar Aliyev’s personal auspices protecting them from any attacks and infringements. Favorable conditions provided in those years for representatives of culture and art to create works in the spirit of national traditions and connected to our historical past were the result of special care shown to the young masters of pen.

From the very fest days of Heydar Aliyev’s coming power, the Azerbaijani language was the focus of particular attention in his strategic program, which constituted a foundation for building national state. As a result of the Heydar Aliyev’s activity, Azerbaijani was given State language status that was reflected in the Constitution of 1978. This step, which from the standpoint of those times may be described as true heroism, was taken exactly for the sake of future independent Azerbaijan.

Heydar Aliyev’s return to power in Azerbaijan in 1993 was a turning point in social, political, economic, scientific and cultural life of the country, and marked the beginning of process of building independent state in accordance with international norms and principles.

As a result of the urgent measures taken by Heydar Aliyev - on one hand, forming National Army and regular Armed forces capable to guard national interests of Azerbaijan and defend our lands, on the other hand, stop the war by all diplomatic and political means – the ceasefire regime having vital importance to our country was established in May 1994.

Signing the first oil agreement called “Contract of the Century” in 1994 and its realization under conditions of relative stability within Azerbaijan and increasing interest and confidence to our country in the international arena, are the vivid evidence of realization of Heydar Aliyev’s oil strategy constituting a concept of economic development of Azerbaijan.

Extremely tense activity carried out under the guidance of Heydar Aliyev put an end to backstage games with Azerbaijani people’s destiny, political anarchy ans experiment, crime, illegal armed groups that in all allowed to create necessary conditions for successful state building in Azerbaijan.

Heydar Aliyev’s decisiveness allowed preventing October 1994 and March 1995 coup d'etat which posed serious threat to Azerbaijan statehood and independence. Strengthening of Azerbaijan’s statehood and establishment of democratic principles on the base of the first Constitution of the independent Azerbaijan, successful and intensive realization of the process of building democratic, legal and secular state are bound up with the personality of Heydar Aliyev.

Domestic policy carried out by Heydar Aliyev implied providing each Azerbaijani citizen with the right to live freely and create conditions for improvement of his own living standard. Economic reforms, establishment of the market economy, ensuring economic development, Azerbaijan’s integration into the world economy, implementation of the privatization program and agrarian reforms were priority directions of Heydar Aliyev’s activity.

Due to the foreign policy of Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s relations with the world’s leading countries and international organizations began developing in accordance with the national interests far-sighted political perspective. His resolute steps, skillful use of the most authoritative rostrums in the name national goals, had extremely important significance from the standpoint of the present and future of the Azerbaijan’s statehood.

Active diplomacy of Heydar Aliyev made democratic states and leading international public organizations change their attitude to our country and the armed conflict it had been involved in forcedly. The Heydar Aliyev’s foreign policy was based on peace, respect to international legal norms, integrity and inviolability of borders, territorial integrity of states and principles of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Since 1992, Heydar Aliyev had been carrying out tense activity aimed at expanding and strengthening economic, political, literary and cultural links with Turkish speaking countries.

He did extremely intensive and fruitful work to prepare and realize large-scale international economic agreements on utilization of natural resources and favorable geo-strategic position of Azerbaijan in accordance with the national interests.

Due to his huge political will and wise prescience, very important international contracts were signed and their implementation was launched. Heydar Aliyev was the initiator of Azerbaijan’s leading role in realization of a number of world-scale economic programs of great political significance.

Heydar Aliyev has great merits in unity and solidarity of Azerbaijanis who had been scattered around the world during the merciless and severe trials of the history. He worked hard for the World Azerbaijanis to be organized, and unite closely around their only motherland, the independent Azerbaijan, and made extremely important decisions to this end.

Heydar Aliyev is our contemporary of genius: the very fact is a source of pride for every Azerbaijani. At the same time, Heydar Aliyev is a great historical person presented to our people by the destiny. He gave powerful impetus to the process of historical development of Azerbaijan. It was exactly Heydar Aliyev, the creator of the independent Azerbaijani state, who laid the ideological basis for our national statehood.

Colossal activity of Heydar Aliyev as a political and public figure devoted all his life to his people and left a deep trace in the history of the Azerbaijani people, has become true school of public administration. There will be many generations of the Azerbaijan people to use this school and rich heritage of Heydar Aliyev in the name of our country’s development and welfare of our people.

Dear and bright memory of the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, wise head and person of genius Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev will live in the hearts of the grateful Azerbaijani people forever.

May Allah rest his soul in peace!

State Commission for Organization of Funeral

of Ex-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev