Alik Bakhshi 100 years of the Republic of Azerbaijan On May 28, the people of Azerbaijan note an important historical date - the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan. True, in 2 years on April 28, 1920, independence was lost after the invasion of the Russian army under the command of Kirov, whose monument with a symbolically extended hand towered over Baku until 1991, when Azerbaijan regained its sovereignty. Independence has made it possible to achieve significant economic success, despite the constant military provocations of Armenia, behind which is Putin's Russia with its revanchist policy. The leadership of the country located at the junction of the East and West has to deal with literally political balancing act in order not to anger Moscow ahead of time, during which it is necessary to find friends and understanding of the West. The fact is that Azerbaijan is not the Baltic states, in the sense that Western democracy, due to the popular mentality inclined to the clan component of power and other reasons, which I will dwell on below, has not taken place in Azerbaijan, although Azerbaijan is positioning itself as a democratic country. By the way, in that distant year 1918, power in Azerbaijan was more democratic than it is today. True, a true Western-style democracy was also in 1992, when Abulfaz Elchibey became president for the first time in popularly-held elections. However, the difficult military situation in Karabakh and the lack of political support, or rather of its clan, did not allow Elchibey to effectively exercise power as president, and a year later he had to cede this post to former member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee Heydar Aliyev, who had someone to rely on from his relatives supporters. Having a lot of experience in power, Aliyev managed to stabilize the political situation and save the country from the inevitable economic collapse and its capture by the Armenian Nazis with their chimerical idea about Armenia from the sea to the sea, on the map of which there is no place either for Azerbaijan or for the Azerbaijani people. It seems that Armenians can never forget March 1918, when they raised an armed insurrection, they seized power in Baku and staged a massacre of the local unarmed population, which, being saved, had to leave the city (1,2). Then, to help the brotherly people of Azerbaijan, Turkey, despite the difficult situation on the fronts of the First World War, sent an army that suppressed the Armenian insurrection, otherwise there would not be a country with the name Azerbaijan today. It should be noted that Heydar Aliyev, being the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, cared about creating a diversified industry in the republic. So, he achieved the creation of a factory of air conditioners, the first and only in the USSR. I remember on this occasion, the conversation between Aliyev and the director of our institute. The fact is that the institute was to receive a new building, which was built on the territory adjacent to the new plant of air conditioners, and even a part of the laboratory equipment was installed. Suddenly, Aliev ordered to transfer the building to the plant. Director of the Institute, motivating his objection, began to talk about scientific achievements and that the scientific development of the institute in the Urals will be built shop. Then Aliev calmly asked: "What will Azerbaijan do from this?" I need people to provide work here. " It was under Aliyev that non-oil enterprises appeared in Azerbaijan, which, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, fell into disrepair. But how could Aliev, in the 1970s, foresee that the Soviet Union would disappear. However, this episode indicates the patriotism of Aliyev, his real concern for the people of the republic. It should be said that Heydar Aliyev had authority both in his own country and abroad. Not every leader was honored to be accepted by the Queen of Great Britain. Undoubtedly, under President Aliyev from democracy, one name remained in Azerbaijan, however, as well as throughout the post-Soviet space, including Russia (2). Only the Baltic republics remained committed to democratic principles and somewhere Ukraine, in which democracy expressed itself and the frank incapacity of the people to come to a common agreement and because of this in the belatedness of making the right decisions, which was taken advantage of by the revanchist Putin. The same situation, even more dangerous because of the war with Armenia, could have arisen in Azerbaijan, were it not for Heydar Aliyev. In this regard, the reproaches of the West in the absence of democracy are devoid of logic. By the way, because of Armenia's aggressive plans for the smoldering Karabakh conflict, in which Moscow is always ready to throw a fireball, the danger remains with Aliyev, the younger one. Russia is very sensitive to oil and gas projects in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. An unconcealed threat sounds in the words of Foreign Minister Lavrov: "The project of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline affects the legitimate interests of Russia" (3). On May 29, an official opening of the Southern Gas Corridor took place in Azerbaijan, according to which gas from the Caspian Sea will flow to Europe bypassing Russia (4). Undoubtedly, Moscow is irritated by the fact that Azerbaijan jointly with Turkey and Kazakhstan recreated the "Great Silk Road" by linking Beijing with London and also bypassing Russia (5). Common to Azerbaijan and the Turkic countries of Central Asia, economic tasks contribute to political consolidation, which is very important against the backdrop of Russia's frank claims to the entire post-Soviet space. Despite the known difficulties in the period of 100 years, the Azerbaijani people approached the Jubilee date, having a good basis for a step forward. 1. Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan. https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/?skip=50#post-alikbahshi-13967 2. Hole in a portrait or from the Great Lies to "Great Armenia" https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/?skip=50#post-alikbahshi-14877 3. Post-Soviet democracy (democracy in Azerbaijani) https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/#post-alikbahshi-31770 4. National interests of Russia https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/#post-alikbahshi-35700 5. "Southern Gas Corridor" https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/#post-alikbahshi-38150 6. Revival of the "Great Silk Road" https://alikbahshi.livejournal.com/#post-alikbahshi-36842 05/29/18.
