It can be said that this man went to his presidency from his youth, and he inherited the most important post of the country from his father. And no matter how much criticism is poured into his address, one thing remains clear: Ilham Aliyev, the son of Heydar Aliyev, did a lot of good things for his country as President of Azerbaijan. This is recognized not only by Azerbaijanis, but also by foreign politicians.
Childhood and early youth
Aliyev Ilham Heydarovich was born in the capital of the Azerbaijan SSR on December 24, 1961. His father at that time was already a fairly large official - he served as deputy head of the city department of the KGB. And soon became the boss. Some time later, Heydar Aliyev was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic.
In 1967, the offspring of the main person of Azerbaijan became a student of Baku Secondary School No. 6, from which he graduated in 1977. No one from the family has any doubts about the further development of eventsdid not have. Moscow was waiting for Ilham and, of course, one of its most prestigious institutions.
In the very first summer after the graduation ball, Ilham Aliyev, whose biography began so successfully, became a student at MGIMO. At the time of admission, he was only 15 years old, and the admission committee gave the go-ahead only after they received a certificate stating that Aliyev would turn 16 in a few months.
According to the future president, studying in the capital was not easy. But he did his best and did not disgrace his father. In 1982, the young man's parents also moved to Moscow, and at the same time, after graduating from the Institute of International Relations, he entered graduate school with him. In 1985, Ilham Aliyev defended his doctoral dissertation, which gave him a Ph. D. in historical sciences.
Start in employment
The year the young Azerbaijani graduated from the MGIMO postgraduate course coincides with the beginning of his work at this prestigious university. And, perhaps, Aliyev Ilham Heydarovich would have remained an institute teacher if political events had not intervened.
Perestroika was in full swing, Mikhail Gorbachev was actively "cleaning" the staff, and Heydar Aliyev did not come to his "court". He was dismissed, and his son had to resign from MGIMO.
Some media wrote then that Mikhail Sergeevich “wrote off” Aliyev Sr., because he saw him as a competitor. According to the official version, such a “sudden” retirement was explained by the state of he althpolicy.
One way or another, but the family had to return to Azerbaijan, where at the dawn of the nineties, young and full of energy Ilham went into business, and then, in 1992, left to work in Turkey altogether. He returned to his homeland only two years later, when his father took over as president of the newly-made state.
For almost 10 years (from 1994 to 2003) Ilham Aliyev helped the first person of Azerbaijan to implement the so-called "oil strategy", being "at the helm" of the country's state oil company (first as its vice president, and then First Vice President).
The beginning of a political career
Ilham Aliyev combined his work in the oil company with "presidency courses". There is no other way to name this side of his activity. The fact is that the President of Azerbaijan constantly invited his son to participate in official events at the state level. Everything spoke of only one thing: the head of the country was preparing an heir for himself. The rapid growth of the political career of the presidential offspring testifies in favor of this assumption.
In 1995, Ilham Aliyev received a deputy mandate in the Parliament of Azerbaijan, and in 1997 he headed the National Olympic Committee. In 2000, Aliyev was re-elected to the Milli Majlis and at the same time received the post of deputy chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party, which was the ruling party in the country.
And a year later, the president's son received "access to Europe", heading the parliamentary delegation of the republic in the European Council. In this position, heremained until January 2003, and then became a member of the Bureau and Vice-President of PACE. But Aliyev did not stay in this “hypostasis” for long - only until August 2003. On the fourth day he was appointed Prime Minister of Azerbaijan.
Presidency
This date - August 4 - actually became the beginning of the presidential path of Aliyev Jr. His father at that time was already seriously ill and was almost constantly undergoing treatment either in the USA or in Turkey. There was no power to govern the country. According to the amendments to the Constitution, adopted literally a year before what was happening, the powers of the incapacitated president were automatically transferred to the prime minister, who was the son of the formal head of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
Meanwhile, the term of Aliyev Sr.'s presidency was coming to an end. And, despite his state of he alth, he registered as a candidate for the upcoming elections. His son did the same, motivating this act with a desire to support his father.
But in the end everything turned out exactly the opposite. The father withdrew his candidacy in favor of the offspring and called on the people to vote for him. What the Azerbaijanis did. More than 76 percent of voters voted for Ilham Aliyev in the elections on 10/15/03. And that meant victory in the first round.
31.10.03 Aliyev Jr. officially took office, and on 12.12.03 it became known about the death of the elder. On October 15, 2008, the incumbent President Ilham Aliyev again won the elections and remained for a second term. This time, 88% of voters gave him confidence.
And a year later - in 2009 - the republic held a referendum, according to the results of which the rule on the limit of the presidency was abolished. And Aliyev got the right to run as many times as he likes. On October 9, 2013, he won the presidential elections in the Republic of Azerbaijan for the third time.
Domestic policy
During his debut inaugural speech, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, promised bright prospects for the country. And he didn't lie.
Literally from the very first steps in power, the head of state focused on the development of the oil industry. Domestic investment was also stimulated, jobs were created and private business was encouraged, and socio-economic policy was pursued in the regions. And all this gave good results very quickly.
Already by 2007, the gross domestic product of the republic reached three thousand dollars per capita, and Azerbaijan was recognized as one of the fastest growing countries in the world.
The level of medical care was rapidly increasing in the state, housing was being built, roads were being repaired. And people were imbued with more and more confidence in their president.
Relations with Russia
As soon as Aliyev Jr. took over the main post of the country, he went to Moscow, where he concluded a cooperation agreement with the President of Russia (Vladimir Putin). After that, trade and economic relations between the countries significantly revived, which benefited both sides. In addition, Azerbaijan supported the Russian Federation in the fight againstChechen terrorists.
Relations with Armenia
The most problematic point of Baku's foreign policy was relations with Armenia. Ilham Aliyev made attempts to restore order in this area, for which he held a number of meetings and negotiations. But none of them brought success.
In April 2005, the President of Azerbaijan stated that Baku does not rule out a military confrontation with its neighbor and is ready for it. And after another unsuccessful talks in May of the same year, the leader of the republic put the issue of building an oil pipeline along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route at the forefront. It ran through the territory of Karabakh and could have made Yerevan more accommodating.
In the end, this project brought even more benefits than expected. Its launch put an end to Moscow's oil hegemony, and Azerbaijan began to grow rich rapidly.
Relations with the US
Aliyev Jr. also inherited a difficult legacy in the sector of Baku-Tehran-Washington relations.
The United States increased its confrontation with Iran, which, contrary to the wishes of the world community, developed its nuclear potential, and considered Azerbaijan as a platform for an attack on this country. And Tehran, in turn, promised to bomb the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline if this option becomes a reality.
Leaving for talks in Washington in 2006, the President of Azerbaijan stated that the territory of his state would never become a springboard for hostilities.
Relations with Europe
But Azerbaijan has relations with Europe from the very beginningAliyev's presidency has been much kinder.
The mutual understanding was based on the energy issue, which became especially acute during the conflict between Gazprom and the Ukrainian authorities, which resulted in a sharp decrease in the supply of blue fuel to the EU.
In addition, the Europeans have repeatedly expressed admiration for the rapid pace of development of Azerbaijan and supported it.
Aliyev and opposition
Not a single government, even the most solid and authoritative, is complete without opposition. Ilham Aliyev encountered protest moods in society in the very first "minutes" of his presidency. The very next day after the 2003 elections, people took to the square of the capital, not recognizing the outcome of the vote. The protests were brutally suppressed by the authorities - not even without human casu alties.
The next “attack” of the Azerbaijani opposition happened 2 years later. And he was also mercilessly "stopped". For this, troops had to be sent to Baku. Thousands of people were under arrest. The situation in the country was truly explosive, but Aliyev was supported by the then US President George W. Bush. And gradually the situation leveled off.
Personal life of the President of Azerbaijan
The marriage of the President is an example of strong and harmonious marital relations. Ilham Aliyev's wife, Mehriban, has been supporting her husband in everything since 1983, when their wedding took place. Being a national standard of beauty, a very smart, active and educated woman, she tries not to"exhibit" his virtues and in public is kept in the shadow of his spouse.
For more than thirty years of joint path, the couple managed to "acquire" three children. And in 2008, the eldest daughter of Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Leyla, gave her parents two grandchildren at once - she gave birth to twin boys. The couple's youngest daughter, Arzu, is also already married.
As for the president's third child, Azerbaijanis are seriously wondering if Ilham Aliyev's son will become his heir as head of state, as he himself once did. Wait and see. For now, it's too early to talk about it. The father is full of strength, and Heydar, named after his grandfather, is still too young - he was born in 1997.
