BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 12. Heydar Aliyev as if foresaw that Azerbaijan would become an independent state one day, that we would need an army, we would need specialists, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said during the opening ceremony of a School-Gymnasium educational complex No20 named after Heydar Aliyev has been inaugurated in Bishkek, Trend reports.
"Heydar Aliyev is an outstanding personality who left a deep mark on history. As the President of Kyrgyzstan has said, regardless of the place of work and the nature of the public and political system, he always defended the interests of Azerbaijan. Both in Soviet times and as the leader of Azerbaijan, he turned the Azerbaijan Republic from one of the backward republics in terms of socioeconomic development into one of the most advanced republics of the former USSR, and also later, when he oversaw the vast areas of the economic and industrial potential of the USSR as first deputy chairman of the government and afterwards, when the people of Azerbaijan called upon him to save the young Republic of Azerbaijan from collapsing in the most difficult period. We were on the brink of an abyss when not only did we lose territories as a result of the occupation and military aggression of the neighboring country, but also plunged into chaos and tragedy of a fratricidal civil war. The hardest war is the civil war. Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani people experienced the bitterness of that. Only thanks to the resolve and determination of Heydar Aliyev and the faith of the Azerbaijani people in him, he managed to stop the fraternal bloodshed, stop Azerbaijan from sliding into chaos, save our young republic from fragmentation and put Azerbaijan on the path of development. He strengthened stability and security, attracted investment, laid the foundation for a modern Azerbaijani army. Therefore, when we say that today's Azerbaijan is the brainchild of Heydar Aliyev, we are absolutely right. We, his successors, are following in his footsteps, of course, taking into account the specifics of the situation, taking into account the changing world, taking into account Azerbaijan's modern capabilities and the challenges we are facing. One of the testaments he left behind for us was the restoration of territorial integrity, and we fulfilled it with honor two years ago.
Every child, every young boy and girl, every teenager is told both at home and at school to study well. The kids must have heard this so many times that are probably tired. But this is actually what we will always encourage you to do because this is the right path into the future. Knowledge and education are the factors that will allow you the opportunity to take a worthy place in society and contribute to the strengthening of your state. I think an example would work better than any instructions to study well. I can cite the example of Heydar Aliyev and his certificate of secondary education. He is an example for all students of Azerbaijani schools. There is not a single “four” there, all marks are “fives”. I don't know what system of evaluation there is in Kyrgyzstan – it has been changed in Azerbaijan. But in Soviet times, a “five” was the highest mark. So he studied well from a very early age – both at school and then at the university. And he also treated any work he had to do just as responsibly. I must also say that the role of Heydar Aliyev in the upbringing of the modern generation of Azerbaijanis also stems from the Soviet era when Azerbaijan was the only republic of the former USSR which, at the insistence of Heydar Aliyev, had the right to send about a thousand Azerbaijani boys and girls to leading universities of the USSR without a recruitment. In other words, they took exams in Baku and were sent to leading universities of the USSR. Thus, the personnel potential was generated and it is still in great demand in Azerbaijan today. I would also like to mention that the foundation laid by Heydar Aliyev in the field of army building has allowed us to successfully defend our territory. It was by his decision that a military school named after General Jamshid Nakhchivansky was established in Baku in the 1970s, training children for military service. This foresight of Heydar Aliyev, his vision of the future – as if he foresaw that Azerbaijan would become an independent state one day, that we would need an army, we would need specialists. And all this happened and we had to be ready for any situation," the head of state said.