Caspian Energy (CE): Mr. Minister, Azerbaijan is celebrating the 90th jubilee of its Nationwide Leader Heydar Aliyev, who made tremendous contribution to the formation of independent Azerbaijan, and managed to develop the oil-gas strategy of the country. How would you characterize this period in the history of modern independent Azerbaijan?

Natig Aliyev, Minister of Industry and Energy of Azerbaijan:  This year is significant indeed as the whole country and certain foreign states will mark the 90th jubilee of Nationwide Leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. A special order was issued on this occasion by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as Heydar Aliyev played an exceptional role in the fate of our people, state building and consolidation of our country. 

Besides, this year we also mark the 20th anniversary since Heydar Aliyev came to power. In homage to Heydar Aliyev for his role in saving the country from the collapse, and returning to power for the second time the 15th of July has been marked in Azerbaijan as the day of National salvation. It was a salvation not from the economical or financial but from the political collapse when the country was on verge of loosing its statehood. I also believe it is necessary to note that for 10 years the country has been governed by Ilham Aliyev who keeps successfully implementing Heydar Aliyev’s policy. Throughout this period our country has reached much higher political, economic, energy and financial level along with new opportunities. Azerbaijan holds a worthy position in the world scale of values. 2013 is also the year of presidential elections. So we try to show what we have gained and the way we have our problems solved. It is a reporting year for us.   

Summarizing all of the mentioned, noteworthy is that the foundation was laid by Heydar Aliyev. Heydar Aliyev’s oil-gas policy is an economic doctrine, his vision of rebuilding and reviving Azerbaijan. Considering it in much broader scale, we see that the oil-gas policy was also a part of external policy Heydar Aliyev implemented. 

Today  after  20 years passed, considering all that he did within the first 10 years, it is not only an oil and gas concept we should refer to when speaking about the oil-gas policy. Certainly this policy aimed at oil production growth, rebuilding, reconstruction and modernization of the oil industry. If considering it globally, it also involves an external policy which means establishment of close relations with a number of states, solution of disagreements with certain countries, overcoming the blockade, surmounting the financial, economic and industrial crises. Summarizing all of this, we might have characterized Heydar Aliyev’s oil-gas strategy much deeper.  All of them were vital activities of the state. 

Characterizing this period of modern Azerbaijan in one word, I would call it a period of rebirth. We should clearly realize that the country was practically on verge of the collapse when Heydar Aliyev returned to power in 1993. It was a moral and political collapse, collapse of social order. That could mean a civil war which is even worse than facing any certain economic crisis. The rebirth began from Heydar Aliyev’s decisive actions aiming at cohesion of the society, extermination of those forces that attempted to ruin the country for their personal ambitions and struggle for power. State rebirth and building starts with Heydar Aliyev’s period. Heydar Aliyev’s return was another chance that history gave us for saving our country. Further development was possible after Heydar Aliyev ensured stability of the society and solved social-political problems.