Azernews.Az

By AzerNEWS

The National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who saved Azerbaijan in its difficult time and united the nation amid political chaos, left behind an independent, prosperous Azerbaijan and a stable, strong, and determined leader, Ilham Aliyev...for 21 years now, Azerbaijan has been represented under the leadership of this name and is well known to the world. On this path, many loved him and some did not. Still, he always moved forward without stumbling along the path of diplomacy taught by the National Leader and finally achieved the integrity of Azerbaijan on this path.

As early as 1997, when he was the President of the Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee, his attention and care for Azerbaijani sports and athletes were known through his selfless activities. He was extremely precise and honest in his work and also approached the obligations placed upon him responsibly.

National Leader Heydar Aliyev believed in President Ilham Aliyev's political ability and determination, so he accompanied him in many diplomatic meetings. In the 1990s, when National Leader Heydar Aliyev was negotiating the former Garabagh conflict, President Ilham Aliyev carefully observed the processes and the meeting.

His formality and understanding of the subtleties of diplomacy foreshadowed Azerbaijan's present success and the fact that he is one of the strongest leaders in the world. This also increased the public's trust and confidence in him.

Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev, who was elected president in 2003, took an oath before his people and promised that he would do his best for the prosperity of Azerbaijan. Although his promises were as big and heavy as a mountain, it did not take long to achieve his objective. After only 17 years, he proudly entered Garabagh, a part of Azerbaijan which had been under Armenian occupation for 30 years, as a great conqueror and victorious supreme commander. Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, who won with the trust of his people, made a splash in the world with this victory and once again became known to the world as a true leader.

December 24th is the birthday of our esteemed President Ilham Aliyev. On this occasion, the AZERNEWS staff sincerely congratulates the esteemed President and wishes him good health and success in his productive activities.

Despite the young age of President Ilham Aliyev, his political activity is both rich and very attractive.

He was born in 1961 in the capital city of Baku. Ilham Aliyev, who graduated from the Faculty of International Relations of Moscow State University, continued his scientific activities at the institute's postgraduate course.

He finalized his research works and received a Ph.D. degree in history in 1985 and worked at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations until 1990. From 1994-2003, he worked as the vice president of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), and then as the first vice president.

Elected as a member of the Milli Majlis in 1995 and 2000, Ilham Aliyev was the head of the Azerbaijani delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) from 2001-2003. Within the framework of his political activity in PACE, he was elected the deputy chairman of the agency and Bureau member in January 2003.

In 2003, due to his appointment as Prime Minister, Ilham Aliyev's powers as a deputy were terminated.

On October 15, 2003, he was elected President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and assumed his post on 31 October 2003.

Today, for 21 years, Azerbaijan has been successfully strengthening its statehood and gaining influence in the world arena under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. Naturally, his political views are not pleasing to many political circles, especially France and Western political associations. At a time when political disputes and biased positions are openly challenging, Azerbaijan's victory shocked many. Although the resolution of the 30-year-old Garabagh conflict in 44 days and the normalization of issues in the region that were not convincing to many in a short time pleased some, it caused strong jealousy in others. Despite the pressure exerted on the head of state from Western circles, he did not back down from his determination. Because he believed that his people – all of Azerbaijan were with him and that, the end of this path was victory.