We can say that this man went to his presidency from his youth, and he inherited from his father the most important post of the country. And no matter how much criticism poured against him, one thing remains obvious: Ilham Aliyev, the son of Heydar Aliyev, as President of Azerbaijan has done a lot of good for his country. This is recognized not only by Azerbaijanis, but also by foreign politicians.
Childhood and early adolescence
Aliyev Ilham Heydarovich was born in the capital 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 he became the boss. After some time, 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 High School No. 6, which he graduated in 1977. No one in the family had any particular doubts about the further development of events. Moscow was waiting for Ilham, and, of course, one of its most prestigious institutions.
In the very first summer after the graduation party, Ilham Aliyev, whose biography began so well, became a student at MGIMO. At the time of admission, he was only 15 years old, and the selection committee gave the go-ahead only after she 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 made every effort and did not disgrace his father. In 1982, the parents of the young man moved to Moscow, and then he, after graduating from the Institute of International Relations, entered graduate school under him. In 1985, Ilham Aliyev defended his doctoral dissertation, which gave him a Ph.D. in historical sciences.
Start of work
The graduation year of MGIMO graduate school as a young Azerbaijani 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 âcleaningâ personnel, and Heydar Aliyev did not come to his âcourtâ. He was fired, and his son had to resign from MGIMO.
Some media outlets wrote then that Mikhail Sergeyevich âwrote offâ Aliyev Sr. because he saw him as a competitor. According to the official version, such a âsuddenâ retirement was explained by the health status of the politician.
One way or another, but the family had to return to Azerbaijan, where at the dawn of the nineties, young and full of strength Ilham went into business, and then, in 1992, he left to work in Turkey. He returned to his homeland only two years later, when his father took the post of president of the newly made state.
For almost 10 years (from 1994 to 2003), Ilham Aliyev helped the first person in Azerbaijan implement the so-called "oil strategy" while 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 work in the oil company with âpresidency coursesâ. This side of his activity cannot be called otherwise. The fact is that the President of Azerbaijan constantly invited his son to participate in official events at the state level. Everything said only one thing: the head of the country is preparing an heir for himself. This assumption is also supported by the rapid growth of the political career of the presidential offspring.
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 then received the post of deputy chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party, which was the ruling country.
And a year later, the presidentâs son got an âexit to Europeâ, leading the republicâs parliamentary delegation to the European Council. He remained in this position until January 2003, and then became a member of the Bureau and PACE Vice President. But Aliyev did not stay in this âhypostasisâ for long - only until August 2003. On the fourth of the 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 were no forces to govern the country. According to the amendments to the Constitution, adopted literally a year before the events, the powers of an incompetent president were automatically transferred to the Prime Minister, who was precisely the son of the formal head of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
Meanwhile, the term of presidency of Aliyev Sr. was coming to an end. And, despite his state of health, he registered as a candidate for the upcoming elections. His son did the same, motivating this action with a desire to support his father.
But in the end, everything turned out exactly the opposite. Father withdrew his candidacy in favor of the offspring and called on the people to vote for him. What the Azerbaijanis did. In the elections of October 15, 2003, more than 76 percent of voters voted for Ilham Aliyev. And that meant winning the first round.
10/31/03 Aliyev Jr. officially took office, and 12/12/03 it became known about the death of the elder. On October 15, 2008, incumbent President Ilham Aliyev won the election again and remained in a second term. This time, 88% of voters had confidence in him.
And a year later - in 2009 - the republic held a referendum, according to the results of which the rule on the presidency limit was canceled. And Aliyev received the right to run as many times as he pleases. On October 9, 2013, he won the election of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the third time .
Domestic policy
During his debut inaugural address, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, promised the country bright prospects. And he didnât lie.
Literally from the very first steps in power, the head of state made the main emphasis on the development of the oil industry. Domestic investment was also stimulated, jobs were created and private business was encouraged, and socio-economic policies were pursued in the regions. And all this very quickly yielded good results.
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 services was rapidly increasing in the state, housing was being built, roads were being repaired. And people were imbued with increasing confidence in their president.
Relations with Russia
As soon as Aliyev Jr. took 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 two countries significantly revived, which benefited both parties. In addition, Azerbaijan supported the Russian Federation in the fight against Chechen terrorists.
Relations with Armenia
The most problematic point in Bakuâs 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 not one of them brought success.
In April 2005, the President of Azerbaijan stated that Baku does not exclude military confrontation with its neighbor and is ready for it. And after the next unsuccessful negotiations 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. He ran through the territory of Karabakh and could make Yerevan more accommodating.
As a result, this project brought even more benefits than expected. Its launch put an end to the oil hegemony of Moscow, and Azerbaijan began to rapidly grow rich.
US Relations
A difficult legacy went to Aliyev Jr. in the Baku-Tehran-Washington relations sector.
The US was building up a confrontation with Iran, which, contrary to the will 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 such an option becomes a reality.
Having set off for talks in Washington in 2006, the President of Azerbaijan stated that the territory of his state would never become a springboard for military operations.
Relations with Europe
But Azerbaijan has had much better relations with Europe since the very beginning of Aliyevâs presidency.
The understanding was based on the energy issue, which arose especially sharply during the period of Gazpromâs conflict with the Ukrainian authorities, which resulted in a sharp decrease in gas supplies to the EU.
In addition, Europeans have repeatedly expressed admiration for the rapid pace of development of Azerbaijan and supported it.
Aliyev and the opposition
Not a single government, even the most solid and authoritative, can do without opposition. Ilham Aliyev faced protest moods in society in the very first âminutesâ of his presidency. The very day after the 2003 elections, people came to the square of the capital who did not recognize the outcome of the vote. The protests were brutally suppressed by the authorities - not without casualties.
The next âattackâ of the Azerbaijani opposition happened 2 years later. And he was also ruthlessly âstoppedâ. For this, troops had to be sent to Baku. Thousands of people were arrested. The situation in the country was truly explosive, but Aliyev was supported by then US President George W. Bush. And gradually the situation leveled off.
The personal life of the President of Azerbaijan
The marriage of the President is an example of strong and harmonious marital relations. The wife of Ilham Aliyev - Mehriban - has supported 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 "show" her virtues and keeps herself in public in the shadow of her husband.
For more than thirty years of the joint journey, the couple managed to âmakeâ three children. And in 2008, the eldest daughter of Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Leila, gave her parents two grandchildren at once - she gave birth to twin boys. The youngest daughter of the couple, Arzu, is also already married.
But as for the third child of the president, the Azerbaijanis are seriously wondering if the son of Ilham Aliyev will become his heir as head of state, as he once became. Wait and see. It's too early to talk about it yet. Father is full of strength, and Heydar, so named after his grandfather, is still too young - he was born in 1997.