100 years of the Republic of Azerbaijan

 

In an interview with Al Arabiya, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev revealed a historical truth concealed by Russia about the first republic in the history of the East, Azerbaijan, established by the Azerbaijani people in 1918.

I am quoting my article on this event, written for the anniversary in 2018. In the article, I foresaw Azerbaijan's break with Russia and rapprochement with the West:

 

Alik Bakhshi

 

100 Years of the Republic of Azerbaijan

 

On May 28, the people of Azerbaijan celebrate an important historical date – the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan. However, two years later, on April 28, 1920, independence was lost following the invasion of the Russian army under the command of Kirov, whose monument with a symbolic outstretched hand towered over Baku until 1991, when Azerbaijan regained its sovereignty. Independence has enabled significant economic success, despite constant military provocations from Armenia, backed by Putin's Russia and its revanchist policies. The leadership of this country, located at the crossroads of East and West, is literally forced to perform a political balancing act to avoid angering Moscow prematurely, during which time it must find friends and understanding in the West.

 

 

The fact is that Azerbaijan is not the Baltics, in the sense that Western democracy, due to a popular mentality prone to clannish power and other reasons I will discuss below, has not materialized in Azerbaijan, despite Azerbaijan positioning itself as a democratic country. Incidentally, back in 1918, the government in Azerbaijan was more democratic than it is today. True Western-style democracy also existed in 1992, when Abulfaz Elchibey became president for the first time in a popular election. However, the complex military situation in Karabakh and the lack of a political base, or more precisely, a clan, prevented Elchibey from effectively exercising power as president. A year later, he was forced to cede the post to former Politburo member Heydar Aliyev, who had a trusted supporter among his close allies. With extensive experience in government, Aliyev managed to stabilize the political situation and save the country from imminent economic collapse and its capture by Armenian Nazis with their chimerical vision of an Armenia stretching from sea to sea, with neither Azerbaijan nor the Azerbaijani people on the map. It seems the Armenians cannot forget March 1918, when, in an armed rebellion, they seized power in Baku and massacred the unarmed local population, who were forced to flee the city in their attempt to escape (1, 2). Then, despite the dire situation on the front lines of World War I, Turkey sent an army to help the fraternal people of Azerbaijan, suppressing the Armenian rebellion. Otherwise, there would be no country called Azerbaijan today.

 

It should be noted that Heydar Aliyev, even as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, was committed to the creation of a diversified industry in the republic. For example, he secured the establishment of an air conditioning plant, the first and only one in the USSR. I remember a conversation between Aliyev and the director of our institute on this occasion. The institute was supposed to receive a new building, which was constructed on land adjacent to the new air conditioning plant, and even some laboratory equipment had been installed. Suddenly, Aliyev ordered the transfer of the building to the plant. The director of the institute, justifying his objection, began to talk about scientific achievements and the construction of a workshop in the Urals based on the institute's research. Then Aliyev calmly asked, "What will this mean for Azerbaijan? I need to provide jobs for people here." It was under Aliyev that non-oil enterprises emerged in Azerbaijan, although these, admittedly, declined after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But how could Aliyev have foreseen the demise of the Soviet Union in the 1970s? However, this episode highlights Aliyev's patriotism and his genuine concern for the people of the republic.

It must be said that Heydar Aliyev enjoyed prestige both at home and abroad. Not every leader has been honored with a reception by the Queen of Great Britain.

 

Certainly, under President Aliyev, democracy in Azerbaijan is a mere name, as it is throughout the post-Soviet space, including Russia (3). Only the Baltic republics remained committed to democratic principles, and to some extent, Ukraine, where democracy manifested itself in the people's blatant inability to reach a unified consensus and, consequently, in the belatedness of necessary decisions, a circumstance exploited by the revanchist Putin. The same situation, made even more dangerous by the war with Armenia, could have arisen in Azerbaijan if not for Heydar Aliyev. In this regard, Western accusations of a lack of democracy are illogical. Incidentally, due to Armenia's aggressive plans in the simmering Karabakh conflict, which Moscow is always ready to stoke, the danger remains under Aliyev Jr. Russia is very sensitive to the oil and gas projects of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Foreign Minister Lavrov's words convey an undisguised threat: "The trans-Caspian gas pipeline project affects Russia's legitimate interests" (4). On May 29, Azerbaijan officially opened the Southern Gas Corridor, which will supply Caspian gas to Europe, bypassing Russia (5). Moscow is undoubtedly irritated by the fact that Azerbaijan, together with Turkey and Kazakhstan, has recreated the "Great Silk Road," linking Beijing with London, also bypassing Russia (6).

 

The shared economic goals of Azerbaijan and the Turkic countries of Central Asia also contribute to political consolidation, which is particularly important given Russia's overt claims to the entire post-Soviet space.

 

Despite the well-known difficulties over the past 100 years, the Azerbaijani people approached the anniversary with a strong foundation for moving into the future.

 

 

     With firm steps into the future. (on the site of the demolished monument to Kirov, commander of the army that occupied Azerbaijan).

 

1. Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan. https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/13967.html

2. A Hole in the Portrait, or From the Great Lie to "Great Armeniа"

   https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/14877.html

3. Post-Soviet Democracy (Azerbaijani-Style Democracy)

    https://samlib.ru/b/bahshi_a/alikbahshi-142.shtml

4. Russia's National Interests https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/35700.html

5. "Southern Gas Corridor" https://samlib.ru/b/bahshi_a/alikbahshi-100.shtml

6. Revival of the "Great Silk Road" https://samlib.ru/b/bahshi_a/alikbahshi-94.shtml

 

May 29, 2018.