“Our national and moral values formed the basis of the political activity of the National Leader of our people Heydar Aliyev both during the years of Soviet rule and during independence. No matter how difficult and demanding it was during the Soviet era, our Great Leader was able to cope with all this with dignity.
The issue of the Azerbaijani language has always been in the center of his attention. He paid special attention to the protection, development and constant enrichment of the native language and the training of specialists in this field. He made important and courageous decisions in this direction. Since the mid-1970s, the issue of language has been widely discussed in the socio-political life of the republics of the USSR.
Thus, the process of suppression of national languages in the union was intensifying, and even the leaders of the republic were afraid to raise the issue of the mother tongue. At that time, Heydar Aliyev did not hesitate to state his position on the language issue. It was on his direct initiative that the Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR, adopted on April 21, 1978, gave the Azerbaijani language the status of the state language. I personally consider it one of the greatest historical services of the Great Leader to our people, homeland and state. With this step, he skillfully protected our language, which is the guarantor of our national existence.”
This opinion was expressed by the chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation (ATUC), MP Sattar Mohbaliyev.
According to him, the Great Leader’s appreciation of our native language, despite all the difficulties for its protection, stemmed from his endless love for our homeland: “In short, he did everything possible to protect and develop the Azerbaijani language. High respect and care for linguists in Azerbaijan, increasing the circulation of books published in the national language and other measures aimed at further development of the native language. You probably remember the various proposals made during the drafting of the Constitution of Azerbaijan in 1995 on how to name the state language. Of course, the vast majority supported the naming of our native language as Azerbaijani. The fact that the state language is Azerbaijani in Article 21 of the Constitution, adopted by popular vote in 1995, further strengthened the development and protection of our native language.
“Thanks to the special attention of President Ilham Aliyev, who faithfully continues the work done by the Great Leader to protect and develop our language, as in other areas, all conditions have been created for the widespread use and free development of the Azerbaijani language. Today’s level of development and richness of our language allows us to clearly express complex and deep thoughts, thoughts, feelings, subtle shades. Abundant vocabulary, wide possibilities of expression, perfect alphabet, high level of writing norms once again confirm the ancient history of our language, today’s peak of development and perfection. “It is the sacred duty of each of us to protect our language, which is our most valuable national treasure, as the apple of our eye, to always take care of it and pass it on to future generations,” he said.