By Gunel Abbas (Azerbaijan) 

He is the man who made history with his signature and was engraved in the memory of our people and the political world. He is the person who brought us this day of independent Azerbaijan. When we talk about the history of modern Azerbaijan, first of all, Heydar Aliyev, who devoted his whole life to the happiness of his people, comes to life before our eyes. As he said, this great man, always proud to be an Azerbaijani, has devoted more than 40 years of his life to the struggle for the progress of our country. For this reason, the architect and founder of the independent Azerbaijan state, Heydar Aliyev, lives and will always live in the hearts of our people.

May 10 is the birthday of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the architect and founder of the modern Azerbaijan state, who gave great services to the independence and development of our people and our state. An important period in the history of Azerbaijan - the second half of the XX century, the beginning of the XXI century is associated with his name. In 1969, when Heydar Aliyev became the head of the former Azerbaijan SSR, the situation in our republic was not pleasant at all. A large number of non-citizens held responsible positions. Our mother tongue was suppressed. In such cases, Heydar Aliyev, who was appointed head of the republic, immediately began large-scale work for the comprehensive development of Azerbaijan.

Thanks to his personal initiative and determination, he managed to allocate resources from the center for the construction of many industrial enterprises in the country. Azerbaijan soon overcame the stagnation and economic stagnation and became one of the leading Soviet republics with its developed industry. The greatest result of the period when Heydar Aliyev first ruled Azerbaijan was the successful implementation of the industrialization policy in our Republic and the creation of a strong economic potential.

On October 3, 1993, the National Leader was elected President of the country by the vast majority of our people. Heydar Aliyev created the concept of development of our national state. Thanks to the wisdom and determination of the national leader, Azerbaijan began to develop as an independent, democratic, legal and secular state. The problems facing the Republic were gradually resolved, and peace and political stability were achieved. A radical turn has begun in socio-political, socio-economic, scientific and cultural life, and the integrity, solidarity and national unity of our people has been ensured. The socio-economic and political development that took place in the country after the national leader Heydar Aliyev came back to power played a decisive role in the strengthening of our state, its participation in the process of close integration with the civilized world, and the construction of a modern society that meets the needs of a contemporary society. strategic interests of our people.

Strengthening the state independence of Azerbaijan was the main goal of the ideas of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev. With President Ilham Aliyev's deep and multifaceted political course, the independence of our country has been strengthened. As a result of this policy, Azerbaijan is now one of the most influential countries in the world and also has a leader status in the South Caucasus. Following a fully independent policy is one of the main factors that positively affect the international image of our republic. Most importantly, Azerbaijan is currently experiencing the strongest period in its history. The development felt in every field in our country today has reached its peak in the field of army formation.

Although the great leader is not with us physically today, his spirit is very happy. The dreams of the great leader came true, Azerbaijan regained its historical lands. Azerbaijan's invincible army led by the Commander-in-Chief started the Victory march to prevent Armenia's provocations and new invasion plans. As part of the 44-day military operation that started on September 27, the Azerbaijani Army destroyed the fortifications that Armenia had built in Karabakh for 30 years and liberated the occupied lands from enemy captivity. On November 8, the people of Azerbaijan experienced a feeling of joy and pride that they had never experienced before, and after 28 years of longing, the city of Shusha, which was of great importance and symbolic meaning, was liberated from occupation. Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev gave our people the joy of victory by fulfilling the will of the Great Leader, who said, "There can be no Karabakh without Shusha, no Azerbaijan without Karabakh." Well-thought-out military strategy of the Great Patriotic War and skillful implementation of combat operations fully confirmed the construction of an independent Azerbaijani state and army. This victory played a great role in further strengthening the international position of Azerbaijan and increasing its prestige.

President Ilham Aliyev's raising his voice in the foreign press for 44 days and the words he spoke to the public created great joy and pride in every Azerbaijani.

A worthy successor of the political course of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev, who brought us this historical victory, is the determination, political will, strong army, valiant soldiers and officers of our President, Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. Our people always proudly celebrate the outstanding service of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev to the people of Azerbaijan, his unique work on the preservation and strengthening of the independence of our country, the construction and comprehensive development of a democratic state governed by the rule of law.