Haydar Aliyev was commemorated on the occasion of his 100th birthday under the leadership of the Turkey-Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation.

 

The Azerbaijani politician, National Leader of Azerbaijan Haydar Aliyev, was remembered at a workshop organized by the Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

 

Prof. Dr. Aygün Attar, President of the Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation and Solidarity Foundation, expressed that Ankara is not just the capital of a country, stating, "Ankara, where the heart of the Turkish world beats and which we express in our  Türkiye's Centennial speeches, is not just a capital of a country for the entire Turkish world. Türkiye's prosperity and its solid steps towards the future lead to great happiness, especially in Azerbaijan and the Turkish republics."

 

 

The memorial workshop was attended by Ambassador Gökhan Turan from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mekan Ishanguliyev of Turkmenistan, Prof. Dr. Musa Yıldız, Rector of Gazi University, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran, Rector of Hacettepe University, and many other participants.

 

 

"Today, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Dr. Aygün Attar, who brought us together here to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye and the 100th birthday of the National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. I also want to thank the members of the Türkiye Azerbaijan Friendship, Cooperation, and Solidarity Foundation. First of all, I wish that the Republic of Türkiye, which we are celebrating today, will last for many centuries. I would like to begin my words by remembering with mercy, gratitude, and respect the Great Atatürk who entrusted this legacy to us. Today, I want to commemorate the National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, whose 100th birthday we are celebrating here, by imagining the brushstrokes that make up a painting.

 

I first met Heydar Aliyev in 1998. I wanted to invite him as a speaker to the Marmara Group Foundation, which I was presiding over, but over the years, I couldn't manage to do so. One day in 1998, the Azerbaijani Ambassador at the time, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Nevruzoğlu, called me and told me that Heydar Aliyev would be in Istanbul the following week and had 1.5 hours available. Without hesitation, I said yes. I organized a lunch at the Istanbul Hilton Hotel, which was attended by about 500 people, including members of the Marmara Group Foundation, business people, academics, retired diplomats, generals, and well-known artists and journalists. Heydar Aliyev gave a fantastic speech and answered questions. The 1.5-hour lunch lasted for 4.5 hours. At the end of the enjoyable meal, they turned to me and said, "Mr. Akkan, make me a member of this foundation."

 

In response to this request, I and my friends brought them to the honorary presidency of the Marmara Group Foundation at our first meeting and presented the situation to then President Süleyman Demirel. Süleyman Demirel was very pleased and immediately ordered us to visit them and inform them of the situation. We went to them with a large delegation, and our friendship continued until their passing.

 

Haydar Aliyev also had a share in the formation of the Eurasian Economic Summits, which we organized for the twenty-sixth time this year. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, we desired to develop relations with our relatives at the partner level, and I shared my idea with Süleyman Demirel. He told me, "Go tell Mr. Haydar about this."

 

I went to Haydar Aliyev and shared my thoughts with him. He listened to my project of bringing countries together without a state through civil thought, and said to me, "Mr. Akkan, do you have intentions of organizing a few meetings for fame and money?" When I explained that No, I had designed a sustainable dialogue movement, he said, "Then start with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project." And we started. Valeh Aleskerov, who was in charge of the project at the time, was assigned to the job. We kept our promise and have been honoring him for 26 years since then.

 

That's enough memories for now. With your permission, I would like to talk a little about the colors of the painting.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

Great nations have great children. Great nations invite their great children to duty in their difficult and challenging times. They respond to the call without expecting anything in return.

 

Fransa couldn't cope with anarchy and the country was being governed from the streets, during those days when De Gaulle was spending his retirement in the village of Colombey-les Deux Eglises, he responded to France's call and led the country from darkness to light. Similarly, when Hitler threatened England,

 

Churchill was invited to lead the country from his home in Kent, and he led England to victory in the war.

 

Just like retired General MacArthur was called to command the Korean War and ended the war. These figures were aware that they were needed, so they accepted the call to duty without any demands during the difficult days of great nations. Haydar Aliyev was also aware that he was needed during Azerbaijan's difficult times, so he accepted his country's call and came from Nakhchivan to Baku. 

 

When he arrived in Baku, there was fratricidal conflict, bloodshed, chaos, and the borders were under threat. In short, none of the elements that make up a state were present. A figure was needed to bring the country back to order. 

 

That figure was Haydar Aliyev!

 

Haydar Aliyev first brought stability and established a state in his country. Then he drew a roadmap to make Azerbaijan a world power. Haydar Aliyev, who instilled the spirit of peace in the Caucasus region and unity among the Turkic world, was a statesman who brought independence and territorial integrity to his country Azerbaijan.

 

 

For centuries, the Latin alphabet was an incomprehensible measure of value for the people of the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Anatolia, who had been shaped by Arabic letters. Similarly, for those living with the Cyrillic alphabet in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Balkans, the Latin alphabet was far from expressing any meaning. The importance of the alphabet was also significant in pursuit of civilization and modernity in the West.

 

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who understood the importance of this measure of value, put an end to the Arabic alphabet, which we call the old script, in our country on August 9, 1928. 73 years later, on another August 9th in 2001, Haydar Aliyev switched his country to the Latin alphabet. Haydar Aliyev's leadership in the transition to the Latin alphabet not only brought Azerbaijan closer to the West but also created a whole new network of relations between Baku and Ankara, and between Baku and the Turkic world.

 

After mentioning Aliyev's alphabet preference, I would like to add that he was particularly a leader who ensured stability and peaceful endings to planned scenarios for the region, especially in the Eurasian and Caucasus regions.

 

 

When Haydar Aliyev came to power, there were Russian troops within Azerbaijan's borders, British and American companies were dominant in the oil fields, and Iranian propaganda against religion was heard everywhere. The country's territory was being occupied by Armenians, and independence was in danger.

 

With resolute and effective measures, Haydar Aliyev first secured the borders and then brought stability to the country. Moreover, his peaceful response to the invading mentality of the treacherous circle formed by Armenia, along with his extraordinary style and method of negotiation demonstrated in Lisbon about twenty-five years ago, resulted in the unanimous recognition of the Karabakh territories occupied by Armenia as belonging to Azerbaijan by all the countries of the world. This was nothing but an example of his high negotiation success in international affairs.

 

Years later, this success would become a legal basis for the Karabakh war, allowing for the return of a delayed right through the territory gained by the Azerbaijani army. The achievement that Haydar Aliyev attained with his pen in Lisbon would later become a legal basis for Ilham Aliyev and the Azerbaijani army to secure with their rifles.

 

This great statesman was also the personality who embodied the stable horizons of humanity, brotherhood, and sharing in Türkiye-Azerbaijan relations through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

 

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Project, which we can demonstrate as the power of social and cultural solidarity between Turkey and Azerbaijan consolidated with the economy, is a power alliance shaped between Haydar Aliyev, Süleyman Demirel, and Eduard Shevardnadze. This power alliance was Aliyev's great dream. When Haydar Aliyev pronounced in 1998 that the valve would be opened in Ceyhan in 2005, no one believed it. Haydar Aliyev's persistent attitude and faithful activism in taking on this great project, called the "Agreement of the Century," has given us this work. This great project, which was not even dreamed of, will be remembered in the future as Haydar Aliyev's greatest legacy. 

 

This may be Haydar Aliyev's greatest legacy that will carry him into the future. With a broader evaluation, Haydar Aliyev's work has become a guide for the TANAP project today. 

 

Today's Azerbaijan, shaped by Ilham Aliyev, who comes from the Haydar Aliyev school, is a country that is increasingly developing, growing, and getting richer in a Western-style democracy. Haydar Aliyev, the architect of energy diplomacy that turned black gold into human gold, would have been 100 years old today if he were alive. 

 

Haydar Aliyev, who assumed the presidency in October 1993 and held the position until October 31, 2003, is a stakeholder in his country's independence, stability, and acceptance in the world. 

 

In other words, modern Azerbaijan is his work.

 

Haydar Aliyev's greatest attribute was the energy diplomacy he exhibited. The starting point for Azerbaijan's current rapid growth, development, and enrichment was the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field agreement he signed in 1995. The second major achievement that followed was the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project. Thanks to the oil and natural gas obtained from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli and Shah Deniz projects, which were later added to them, today there is an alternative route for Russian gas and oil for Turkey and Europe, which is a separate example of Haydar Aliyev's foresight.

 

When Haydar Aliyev took office, there was no electricity or roads in the country. Poverty was around 45%.

He chose to turn black gold into human gold. With the roadmap he drew for the country's reconstruction with oil revenues and undertook significant changes in the social sphere to bring Azerbaijan up to Western standards. Those who took over from him continued to work in his footsteps. And they reached today's Azerbaijan.

 

Ilham Aliyev, who took over the legacy from him, has implemented all the obligations of making Azerbaijan a great state over the years. These are the signs of the positive trajectory that Haydar Aliyev's legacy has reached.

 

It is the continuation of this positive trajectory that allowed Ilham Aliyev to take back the occupied Karabakh territories and ensure that Haydar Aliyev can rest in peace in his mausoleum.

 

Therefore, the great march that Haydar Aliyev started towards civilization, peace, and humanity is being continued today by Ilham Aliyev."

 

Dr. Akkan Suver answered the questions of New Azerbaijan Newspaper after the meeting.