Jordan Daily - Azerbaijan commemorates the 103rd anniversary of the birth of former President and national leader Heydar Aliyev, describing him as the founding figure of the modern Azerbaijani state and a key architect of the country’s political stability and economic development.
Born on May 10, 1923, in Nakhchivan, Aliyev rose through the Soviet political system before becoming First Secretary of the Communist Party of Soviet Azerbaijan in 1969 and later a member of the Soviet Politburo. Following Azerbaijan’s independence from the Soviet Union, he returned to power in 1993 during a period of political turmoil and was subsequently elected president.
The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Jordan said in a statement, Aliyev played a central role in strengthening national identity, preserving state sovereignty and preventing internal conflict in the years following independence. His government also sought international support over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and promoted a negotiated settlement through international forums.
Aliyev is also credited with laying the foundations for Azerbaijan’s energy strategy. The 1994 “Contract of the Century” opened the country’s oil sector to major international investment and paved the way for pipeline projects including Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, which connected Azerbaijani energy exports to global markets.
According to the embassy statement, Azerbaijan currently exports natural gas to 16 countries, including 10 members of the European Union, strengthening its role in regional and international energy security.
The statement also highlighted Aliyev’s efforts to expand education, scientific research and youth development, as well as his policy of balancing relations between East and West, which helped Azerbaijan establish diplomatic ties with countries around the world.
Jordan and Azerbaijan have maintained close ties since a 1994 meeting between the late King Hussein of Jordan and Heydar Aliyev during an Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Casablanca. Relations have continued to deepen under President Ilham Aliyev and King Abdullah II through cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields.
The embassy thanked Jordanian authorities for naming a street in Amman after Heydar Aliyev, while Azerbaijan named a street in Baku after the late King Hussein. It also noted that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, headed by the First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, provides annual scholarships for Jordanian students to study at Azerbaijani universities.
Heydar Aliyev died on Dec. 12, 2003, with political legacy continues under President Ilham Aliyev, whose administration oversaw the restoration of Azerbaijani control over territories in Karabakh and ongoing reconstruction efforts in the region.
