June 15 is always celebrated with great respect by our people as the day of national salvation – the day of salvation of the independence and statehood of the most powerful Azerbaijan in its history.
We are separated from this date by 31 years…
But every historical day, holiday puts forward the analysis of the road covered as a necessity, calls for a deeper understanding of its essence.
The history we live in, the realities of which we understand the essence, suggest that the day of National Salvation is a glorious moment in our history, and the most glorious page of our modern Chronicle of statehood. Because that day is a historical moment that resolves the stability of Azerbaijan’s independence and the fate of its statehood. Its author is the Savior leader of the Azerbaijani people, great leader Heydar Aliyev.
Today, the complete restoration of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the waving of our Tricolor flag throughout the country, including Karabakh and East Zangezur, were founded on June 15, 1993.
The great achievements of modern Azerbaijan, confidently moving on the path of continuous growth, are the triumph of Heydar Aliyev’s ideas.
Starting from Nakhchivan independence struggle
It is a fact that if the great leader Heydar Aliyev had not taken on a very heavy responsibility 31 years ago, today Azerbaijan was a country that lost its independence, whose lands are still under occupation, and was a vassal. For this reason, June 1993, 15, is regarded as the beginning of a new period in the life of the Azerbaijani state and people.
If we go into history and look into the recent past, we will witness the unparalleled services of the great leader Heydar Aliyev, who devoted his life to his people and state.
The appointment of national leader Heydar Aliyev in 1982 as a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers was a very proud event for every Azerbaijani. His activity during these years, high business acumen, organizational skills gradually increased his fame.
During his life and work in Moscow, the Great Leader did not spare attention and care for Azerbaijan and was always interested in the social and cultural life of our republic. In 1987, in response to the persecution of Heydar Aliyev in the leadership of the USSR, he resigned from his post. Nevertheless, despite all the prohibitions, The Great Leader continued to closely monitor the processes taking place in the USSR and Azerbaijan, breathing with his people. It was in this that his strength lay. After the massacre of Soviet troops in Baku on January 1990, 20, it was the national leader who protested against it in the most severe way. At that time, Heydar Aliyev, together with Ilham Aliyev, demonstrated great courage and openly criticized the leadership of the USSR at a press conference in the building of the representative office of Azerbaijan in Moscow.
After living in Moscow for some time, the genius person preferred to live in Azerbaijan – in his native land Nakhchivan, and in 1990, on July 22, he returned to the Autonomous Republic. Nakhchivan, which was under blockade at that time, was going through its most difficult days. On the one hand, the population of the Autonomous Republic tried to prevent the attacks of Armenia, on the other hand, to eliminate the political, economic and social difficulties that arose in the region as a result of the chaos in the entire USSR.
Of course, Heydar Aliyev could not come to terms with such a situation. Despite the pressure from all sides, the great leader, who was honored to die for his people, stood up for the struggle for the independence of Azerbaijan. Seeing his resolute struggle for independence, the people of Nakhchivan elected the Great Leader as a deputy to the parliaments of Nakhchivan and Azerbaijan in September 1990.
At the sessions, the national leader sharply criticized the policy pursued by Baku officials and Moscow’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, and announced the imminent collapse of the USSR. However, the government that led the country at that time ignored these ideas and showed loyalty to the Kremlin. Despite this, Heydar Aliyev did not retreat a single step from his struggle for the independence of Azerbaijan. In 1990, on November 17, at the first session of the Supreme Soviet of the Autonomous Republic, on the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, the tricolor flag of our native Azerbaijan was raised, thus laying the foundation for the restoration of our independence from that time. In addition, at the suggestion of the Great Leader, the words “Soviet Socialist” were removed from the name of the Autonomous Republic and the Supreme Soviet of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was called the Supreme Assembly. December 31 was declared the day of solidarity of World Azerbaijanis.
The people of Nakhchivan had great confidence and hope in Heydar Aliyev and wished him to lead the Autonomous Republic. In 1991, on September 3, Heydar Aliyev was elected chairman of the Supreme Majlis of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
As chairman of the Supreme Assembly, The Great Leader improved relations with brotherly Turkey and Iran in order to alleviate the situation in Nakhchivan, which was experiencing its hard days before. Seeing the future fate of the Autonomous Republic in the development of the economy on the basis of market Relations, The Great Leader emphasized the implementation of reforms soon. All forces and opportunities in the Autonomous Republic were mobilized to improve the well-being of the population and ensure security. For the first time in Azerbaijan, economic and agrarian reforms began to be implemented in the Autonomous Republic. These urgent measures, which were successfully carried out, soon bore fruit, and the political and economic situation in Nakhchivan gradually began to stabilize. This stability achieved in the economy and state building made it possible to bravely repel the attacks of Armenians on the Autonomous Republic and to establish calm at the front.
In 1991, on October 18, Azerbaijan regained its independence and sovereignty. This date coincided with a period when, on the one hand, our hated neighbor Armenia pursued a separatist policy and attracted us to the war with territorial claims, and on the other hand, people came to the leadership of the newly created sovereign state who did not have leadership qualities, were deprived of the opportunity to evaluate political events, see and predict the future, Such a situation not only increased tension at the front, but also stirred up the struggle for power. Taking advantage of this, the Armenian armed forces, with the help of their patrons, expelled Azerbaijanis from Nagorno-Karabakh by force and carried out ethnic cleansing.
The reality is that the efforts made by The Great Leader for the liberation of Nakhchivan from the blockade soon bore fruit, and today’s modern development of the Autonomous Republic, Of course, is associated with the name of the great leader Heydar Aliyev.
One of the first steps taken by the national leader to remove Nakhchivan from the blockade was the establishment of relations with brotherly Turkey. At that time, the stage of transformation of the idea of the Great Leader “One Nation, two states” into reality began in Nakhchivan. Within the framework of the genius person’s visit to Turkey in March 1992, from 22 to 24, the “protocol of cooperation between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the Republic of Turkey in connection with Azerbaijan” was signed, the construction of the Sadarak-Dilucu bridge was started in order to ensure travel between Nakhchivan and Turkey. On May 28 of the same year, the Sadarak-Dilucu bridge was put into operation, which is considered a symbol of the development of economic, cultural, social and political relations between the two countries. With the commissioning of the bridge, the gradual elimination of the grave consequences of the blockade, the improvement of the material well-being of the population, the introduction of the Autonomous Republic to the world and its integration into the West began in Nakhchivan. At the same time, this gave impetus to the development of the eastern provinces of Turkey and determined a new direction for the development of transport links and international transportation.
The genius leader described the necessity of opening the bridge as follows: “As an Azerbaijani, building such a bridge was a dream that I personally had in my heart for decades. This idea lived in my heart for decades. I consider myself lucky that, along with all the other things I have done, I initiated the construction and creation of that bridge of hope and longing in a short period of time.”
The “Bridge of Hope” created at the initiative of the Great Leader was of great importance in terms of bringing two brotherly peoples together, building a bridge from country to country, from heart to heart. Because the importance of the “Bridge of Hope” is especially emphasized when commenting on the modern level of Azerbaijan-Turkey and Nakhchivan relations, the work done in the direction of realizing the ideas of unity and integrity of the Turkic world. This bridge was the beginning of the development of Azerbaijan-Turkey relations. This bridge should be characterized not only as the establishment of Nakhchivan’s relations with Turkey, but also as Azerbaijan’s gateway to the Turkic world.
The Great Leader, the architect and founder of modern Azerbaijan, took very progressive steps to bring Nakhchivan out of darkness into a bright tomorrow. The successful development of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which celebrates its 100th anniversary today, is the result of the foundations laid by the Great Leader. President Ilham Aliyev, the worthy follower of the genius leader, who turned Azerbaijan into the most powerful state in history, fully ensured our sovereignty and territorial integrity, is implementing very important projects and signing important orders for the rapid development of the autonomous republic. One of them is the “State Program for the socio-economic development of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic for 2023-2027”. When paying attention to the projects envisaged in the detailed action plan of the state program for 2023-2024, it is clear that there will be revolutionary innovations in the socio-economic and cultural life of the autonomous republic soon.
By the order of President Ilham Aliyev, the launch of the Institute of Plenipotentiary representative of the president in Nakhchivan and the successful implementation of purposeful reforms have ensured the beginning of a new stage of development in the Autonomous Republic, and the ancient land has entered the modern stage of development today. The state program prepared by the head of state on the further rise of the ancient land is a road map of the new development of modern Nakhchivan.
From economic and political decline to the stage of development
After regaining its independence, we faced many problems caused by external and internal forces that did not like our country. The forced expulsion of Azerbaijanis living in Armenia and the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan from their native lands by Armenians, the expansion of the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the occupation of regions in the region, the dangerous situation of separatism trends in certain areas, economic decline and other negative processes were a bitter picture of that time.
The events of June 1993, which became the most tragic and bloody period in the modern history of Azerbaijan’s statehood, and the escalating political and military crisis were the logical result of the political disrepair of the ADR-Musavat government. Even before the events in Ganja, the country was in an uncontrollable state, centrifugal tendencies reached their peak. There was a lack of power and anarchy. Such management of power had laid the foundation for a civil war and the disintegration of the country.
In short, the plan to end the existence of Azerbaijan as a state once and for all was launched at full capacity. Chaos and arbitrariness, the threat of civil war raised big questions in people about the future of a young state. The people saw a way out of such a difficult situation in Heydar Aliyev’s return to political power, trusted him and pinned hopes on him. All sections of society were convinced that Heydar Aliyev was the only person capable of bringing a country that had just regained its independence out of a difficult and unbearable situation. In fact, it was the voice of the heart of the whole people. Our people intended to decide their future fate by uniting closely around Heydar Aliyev.
Thus, in 1993, on June 9, great leader Heydar Aliyev, voting for the people’s call, returned to Baku and saved our country from troubles, where more terrible events were expected than the fate of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The election of the national leader as chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan on June 15 was a turning point in the modern history of the Republic. According to the decision of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan dated June 1997 of 27, the annual celebration of June 15 as the National Salvation day is based on objective reality.
That day, in the true sense of the word, became a turning point in the fate of our country, an important step was taken towards the great salvation.
In the terrible June days of 1993, when the fate of our statehood was decided, the return of the great leader Heydar Aliyev to the leadership of the country at the insistence of the people saved Azerbaijan from the disaster of destruction and put it on the path of sustainable and sustainable development. The Azerbaijani people entered the new century and the new millennium precisely in the light of the foresight, decisive policy and deep intelligence of the National Leader. Possessing the ability to combine strong will, phenomenal memory, determination and leadership skills, the politician introduced Azerbaijan to the world and expanded its economic ties.
In a short time, as a result of the tireless activity of the great leader Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan has become a strong state looking forward to the future with confidence. In 1993, on October 3, The National leader was elected president by the vast majority of our people. After that, thanks to the wisdom and determination of the Great Leader, Azerbaijan began to develop as an independent, democratic, legal and secular state. The problems facing the Republic were solved in stages, peace and political stability were established. A fundamental turn began in socio-political, socio-economic, scientific and cultural life, the integrity, solidarity and national unity of our people were ensured.
As a result of urgent socio-economic, political and moral measures taken by the Great Leader, on the one hand, important steps were taken related to the formation of the National Army, the creation of regular armed forces capable of protecting the national interests of Azerbaijan, and the defense of our lands. On the other hand, with the launch of all political and diplomatic means, a ceasefire of vital importance was reached in may 1994. The vital importance of the ceasefire was that it was after this treaty that the integration of our country into the world community accelerated, international agreements and agreements were reached, which made it possible to effectively use its economic potential and enter the world market. Taking advantage of the relative stability in the country, as well as the growing confidence and interest in Azerbaijan in the international arena, the signing of the “Contract of the Century” September 1994 and its realization is a vivid manifestation of the implementation of the oil strategy developed by the great leader Heydar Aliyev, which forms the basis of the concept Under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev, our republic became an active participant and initiator of such global projects as the restoration of the ancient Silk Road, the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas lines.
From liberation to the Shusha Declaration and full guarantee of sovereignty
At the heart of all the successes achieved is the political course determined by the national leader and the fact that President Ilham Aliyev has successfully continued this political course.
Both Heydar Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev can be called Savior leaders of the Azerbaijani people. If the Great Leader saved Azerbaijan from the threat of losing its independence in the hardest and most terrible days, Mr. Ilham Aliyev turned Azerbaijan into the most powerful state in its history, put an end to the 200-year-old fictitious Armenian dream and settled the most painful problem of his people-the former Karabakh conflict in 44 days.
The second Karabakh War, which began in September 2020 and ended with our victory in November, and the local counter-terrorism measures carried out in 2023 once again demonstrated the power of Azerbaijan to the world.
The architect of the great victory, the victorious Supreme Commander-in-chief, who fully ensured the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, is known in the world today as a global leader whose word is as valid as his signature.
Azerbaijan, which has a completely independent policy pursued by the president, has become a dynamically developing, modernizing state of the world, whose influence on an international scale is increasing day by day, and great economic successes have been achieved over the past period. This is confirmed not only by the citizens of Azerbaijan, but also by the whole world. Every person who comes to Azerbaijan is amazed at the development going on in our country.
Today Azerbaijan is experiencing its brightest days. We can confidently note that Azerbaijan has never been so independent and strong in its centuries-old history. All this immense joy was given to our people by the victorious Supreme Commander-in-chief Ilham Aliyev.
June 15, which marks the National Salvation day of the Azerbaijani people, is also marked by the third anniversary of the signing of the historic Shusha declaration. In fact, there is a natural bond, an undeniable connection between these two historical events. With The Return of the Great Leader to political power in 1993, in Shusha, the cradle of Azerbaijan’s culture, which as a state escaped the threat of destruction and entered into development, stability, security and its liberation, 28 years later, President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed this historical document has a great symbolic meaning in itself. This is a great contribution to the strengthening of fraternal relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the spiritual unity of our peoples, as well as their solidarity in the political and economic spheres, as well as to the entire Turkic world. Both the Shusha Declaration and the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey flying in free Shusha demonstrate to the whole world the unshakable unity between our countries.
The reality is that as the victorious commander, Mr. Ilham Aliyev achieved the complete restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan in all its territories. At present, our flag flies majestically in Khankendi, Shusha, Khojaly, Agdam, Lachin, Kalbajar, Jabrayil, Zangilan, Fuzuli, Khojavand, Gubadli. In other words, such a complex problem as the liberation of Karabakh, which some even seem impossible to solve, has been solved and, moreover, new realities have been signed in the South Caucasus, which have amazed the world.
In Karabakh and East Zangazur, which were cleared of enemies by the skill of a true Commander of Mr. Ilham Aliyev, unprecedented creative work is underway, and after many years a great migration of our compatriots to these lands has begun.
The future of Azerbaijan looks brighter and more prosperous. Because the management of independent Azerbaijan is in the hands of the political successor of the Great Leader, Mr. Ilham Aliyev. Our people are confident that independent Azerbaijan will achieve higher heights under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev in the light of the ideas of the genius person Heydar Aliyev. As Azerbaijan becomes stronger, the immortal soul of the Great Leader will be glad.
Sattar MOHBALIYEV,
Chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan, deputy of the Milli Majlis
“Azerbaijan” newspaper