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Diana Borovik,
journalist (Ukraine)
THE CASPIAN OIL MONARCHY
The Aliyevs clan must be called the Caspian oil monarchy. Geydar Aliyev, a former KGB chairman of the Azerbaijan SSR further was the continuous president of sovereign Azerbaijan for many years after disintegration of the USSR. His son Ilham, a lover to squander money in Moscow casinos in 2003 became the real successor to the throne.
Geydar Aliyev was the epoch-man, the unique living picture of all created by him for the XX century democratic notion - the Azerbaijani. As a professional secret agent Geydar Aliyev was always marked by a special skill to insure himself in good time, and thanks to it he succeeded every time to come through unscathed out of big maelstrom of revolutionary changes. And what is more, just he became the father of the Azerbaijani nation.
Geydar Aliyev was born on 10 May 1923 in the family of a railways worker in Nakhichevan. The return of Aliyev to the postSoviet policy was further connected with this autonomous region of Azerbaijan separated by Armenia from the other territory of the country. For the beginning, Aliyev achieved a great success in the secret service of the Azerbaijan SSR. In 1969, he became the first secretary of the CC CP of Azerbaijan. Aliyev occupied high posts in the Soviet nomenclature. They connect with him the economic growth in Azerbaijan for 1970s-1980s, the amelioration of life of many city residents, the emergence of national intellectuals with higher education received in Moscow and other academic centers of the USSR. It was considered that he might become the Secretary General of the CP of the country, and probably therefore he fell into disgrace in time of
M. Gorbachev. At that time Aliyev said that all republics could not be sovereign within one sovereign state.
Using the first chance, he flew to Nakhichevan and was immediately elected the chairman of the Supreme Maijlis. By law he was the deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament. He did not go to Baku, since his rival from Nakhichevan - Elchibey was the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of the National Front.
In January 1990, when the military troops entered Baku and dozens of residents were killed, he was one of the first citizens of the country, who expressed his public courageous protest against it. In 1993, Aliyev came back to power in Azerbaijan. He ruled rigidly, showing refined firmness of purpose. He was able to get the upper hand in the struggle against the nationalist opposition and adventurer S. Guseinov, who was the prime minister. Aliyev skillfully chose the way between the influence of the USA and Russia in the region, using the interest of western corporations in Caspian oil. He succeeded to stabilize internal situation in Azerbaijan by suppression of all rivals, he signed the agreement on termination of military clashes with Armenia in Nagorny Karabakh and concluded the oil contract of the century.
The myth relating to G. Aliyev resembled the Turkish myth about Ataturk. Aliyev made Huj, having visited Mecca. His portraits were printed in textbooks. In Azerbaijan it was the personal cult surpassed only by the medieval Asian leaders. G. Aliyev established stability, but democracy was left undeveloped. Azerbaijan continued to be subject to criticism for the issues of human rights and freedom of speech and democracy of elections.
G. Aliyev's methods of governance were not simple. As a rule, he liked to have contacts with ordinary people. Usually, in different distant settlements - new schools, kindergartens and houses were constructed. G. Aliyev made friendly contacts with common people
but treated officials in a severe way. In the middle of the 1970s, he personally ordered to start judicial proceedings against some secretaries of district party committees for incorrect, exaggerated data on cotton harvest. It caused big scandal, but Aliyev himself stayed aside of it.
G. Aliyev had influence on sub-consciousness of ordinary citizens. For instance, the airplanes of Azerbaijani company "AZAL" were equipped with TV, which translated speeches of G. Aliyev for the period of even short flights Baku-Nakhichevan for 55 minutes. The passengers had no chance to switch off the TV, while the speech was transmitted four times.
G. Aliyev died on 12 December 2003 far away from his country, in famous hospital in Cleveland (state Ohio), where he was treated. The information on the death of the president of Azerbaijan was like a bolt from the blue. The strong-willed leader was able to make his citizens believe in his immortality. However, they underestimated his wisdom. For a long time, he prepared his son Ilham for the post of the president of Azerbaijan. As a result of election on 15 October with the support of the state apparatus and the assistance of business, despite some difficulties in vote calculation, according to western observers, Ilham Aliyev became the president of Azerbaijan. His political credo is continuation of the father's work.
Aliyev junior since his childhood was surrounded by his father's glory. He studied in Moscow Institute of International Relations. However, after "dispute" of G. Aliyev with Gorbachev Ilham automatically became an enemy of the country, he was discharged from the institute. He had to start his own business first in Moscow and further in Stambul. As soon as G. Aliyev came back to power, Ilham returned to his father and started his carrier. In his inauguration speech I. Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan could become a powerful state
and that it was necessary to continue in the country the policy of G. Aliyev.
Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mekhriban Pashayeva were married for 28 years. They have three children: two daughters - Arzu and Leila-and son Geydar. On 1 December 2008, Leila became mother of two boys. Ilham Aliyev in his interview to magazine "Baku" highly appreciated the close relations in his family, which he considered as the greatest value. He said that family was the basis of society. The upbringing of children in the family can not be replaced either by school or higher education institution, he stressed.
The year of 2010 was a year with troubles for Ilham Aliyev. The question was that many foreign mass media started investigation of the property of the ruling dynasty of Azerbaijan. For instance, a publication in "The Washington Post" on the property of the ruling family turned out to become a real dramatic discovery for users of social networks in the country. To all appearance, the access to Internet-resources was limited due to the fact that users of social networks actively discussed the published information on the property of the president's children and on the sources of this property: a school boy Geydar Aliyev bought in Dubai nine private residences on the sea shore for $ 44 million, where nearby stay girls Leila and Arzu. The total value of their real estate in Dubai accounts for $ 75 millions.
The publication actually did not contain anything significant for the readers in Azerbaijan, since they are not so naive to believe in the sum of only $ 75 million, while embezzlement of public property in Azerbaijan is counted in billions of US dollars. Of great significance was the article itself and the fact that taboo on personal information of Ilham Aliyev and his family had been violated.
The imperial business of the president of Azerbaijan grows like baker's dough. His junior daughter became the co-owner of one of the
biggest bank and of a service company for air travel. The political elites prefer to use their friends and family members to keep their position in the most valuable assets of the country. It takes place despite the legislation, which regards nepotism as a crime subject to punishment up to twelve years of imprisonment. Ilham Aliyev likes to possess everything in the family. His wife Mekhriban is a member of the parliament and a distinguished political personality.
Ilham Aliyev gets his official presidential annual salary in the size of $ 230 thousand. However, he keeps under his rigid control the oil resources of the country; formerly he occupied the post of the president of the state oil company of Azerbaijan. The property of Ilham Aliyev accounts for dozens of millions of US dollars. Neither he, nor his wife declared their own capital, which contradicts the laws of Azerbaijan. The national legislation forbids officials to have business. However, it does not apply to the members of Ilham Aliyev family.
"Semya", Mariupol, 2011, N34, p. 7.
Elena Ionova,
candidate of historical sciences
(IMEMO of the RAS)
THE SITUATION IN KYRGYZSTAN
After termination of the ten years period since the last political crisis in Kyrgyzstan it is possible to make some review of activities of the new leadership of the republic. By the end of 2011 the term of powers of president R. Otunbayeva expires, and she herself, as she said, intends to demonstrate a peaceful and legal transfer of powers by means of open and honest elections. Meantime, the lack of stability and unpredictability of events in Kyrgyzstan make an impact on the whole
