Viktor Yushchenko: 'Heydar Aliyev was probably most brilliant Azerbaijani'

"If we are talking about Heydar Aliyev, I think we are talking about perhaps the most brilliant Azerbaijani. He is the person who laid the foundation of modern Azerbaijan," Viktor Yushchenko, the former president and prime minister of Ukraine, told Report.

Yushchenko recalled his first meeting with Heydar Aliyev: “Even before our countries declared their independence, we had very good relations. I was working in the banking system at that time. When Heydar Aliyev returned from Moscow and went to Nakhchivan due to the well-known events in Baku, he asked me to help organize the international settlement system of your country. It was then that I met him for the first time. He gave the impression of a very caring person. His office was on the second floor of the building where a kindergarten was located. It happened in 1990. We went to the city (Nakhchivan) and drove around. I remember, there were bullet marks in all shops and facilities. A large number of people flocked to the streets, they all supported Heydar Aliyev. In short, we held the first negotiations, which almost laid the foundation for financial relations between Azerbaijan and the former USSR territories. That's how we became friends with him (Heydar Aliyev).”

Viktor Yushchenko also emphasized the meetings he had with Heydar Aliyev when he was the prime minister: “After I became the Prime Minister of Ukraine, he visited Ukraine and we met again in Kyiv. At that time, the issue was different, Azerbaijan needed to prepare various state documents - everything from driver's licenses, shares of companies to the production of bank notes. At that time, Heydar Aliyev and I spent half a day at the banknote factory. I have a large archive of that trip. We talked a lot about the details of the first order from Azerbaijan for the production of banknotes in this factory, and about the steps to be taken in the direction of strengthening and forming the independence of Azerbaijan. Therefore, I can say that I know a lot about the formation of modern Azerbaijan. We have done everything to make our interethnic relations warm and friendly, and you can feel it when you are in Ukraine and when you hear the words ‘Azerbaijan’ and ‘Azerbaijani’. The first impression is that they are our brothers, we feel very close. Our relations are very good to this day.”

The former leader of Ukraine believes that the security issue was the priority for all the newly independent states emerging from the USSR at that time: “Several plots were developed on how to formulate security policy. Russia was putting forward its defense model. I mean the Tashkent agreement. And we, for example, chose to join the Collective Sub-European Security System as a security policy a few years after our independence. Despite all the difficulties Ukraine faced on this path, I think we made the right choice. Of course, we will also be a member of NATO, and we will represent the collective model of the European security system. This is our point, our vision. This war started by Russia has shown us once again that we should be with European nations in security policy. If we talk about the Azerbaijan model, I should mention two very successful things in this policy. First, Heydar Aliyev chose a path that allowed Azerbaijan to maintain a long-term balance in its relations with the most difficult neighbor - Russia, for which it is necessary to establish a new security policy. Azerbaijan has already come a long way in this direction. The second point I want to emphasize is the rapprochement between Azerbaijan and Türkiye in the field of defense. It was a very smart policy. This policy of the Azerbaijani leadership in the last 30 years has shown both flexibility and effectiveness. Not everyone in the Caucasus can say that defense and security policy is in their hands and that they have complete control over everything. But Azerbaijan can clearly say and show all this. All neighbors respect this model, and everyone understands and accepts it. Even Armenia, with whom relations are not good, accepts this. Therefore, the discussions are developing in a good way, and almost every day we hear good news about the start of the process and reconciliation. Other Soviet countries can take an example from such methods. In short, I can only applaud the defense and security policy of Azerbaijan over these 30 years.”

Viktor Yushchenko emphasized that Azerbaijan is already a regional leader: “I have great respect for Ilham Aliyev, who continues the policy today. I go to Azerbaijan at least once a year, and sometimes twice. If there is any valuable conference, I definitely attend and speak there. Because today Azerbaijan is a regional leader. Most of the issues related to the region are not brought to the agenda without Azerbaijan, are not discussed, and decisions are not made without Azerbaijan. Because Azerbaijan has become the leading country of the region. Initiatives provided by Azerbaijan's policy, for example, the holding of global forums, are welcomed. Everyone is already used to it, and when spring comes, if you are interested not only in the security policy of the Caucasus region, but also in Europe and Asia as a whole, you should take into account that the Global Baku Forum is on your calendar and you should definitely participate in it. This indicates that, with its strategy, Azerbaijan has formed a policy that is important for the region, Europe, and especially for Eastern Europe, in recent years. Therefore, every time we feel this development, we see that Azerbaijan is moving towards Europe with confident steps. Two years ago, Azerbaijan took an important step in this direction by supplying the European market with 9 billion cubic meters of gas for the first time in its history. We understand that gas for Europe is not only an economic category, but also a policy that the whole of Europe needs. We know how important it is for Azerbaijan to be a participant in the European energy market. Because we understand that after the security policy, the main issue on the agenda is the energy policy. It does not matter whether it is Europe, Ukraine or Azerbaijan. Therefore, I would say that Ilham Aliyev has taken Azerbaijan's foreign policy to a level that Azerbaijan feels like a soloist in many issues. This is a great success.”