"November 21st is the day of the creation of the New Azerbaijan Party in Nakhchivan, because at that time, the Azerbaijan National Front – Musavat party, that called itself democrats and illegally usurped the power, did not allow the congress of the New Azerbaijan Party to be held in Baku. Patriots, those, who supported Heydar Aliyev, intellectuals went to Nakhchivan and founded the New Azerbaijan Party in a condition where there was even no electricity – power was cut every 10 minutes. A new period in Azerbaijan started. Heydar Aliyev raised the tricolor flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic as the state flag and made a claim before the Azerbaijan Supreme Soviet so that they would also take the same step. It took them several months and when they saw that the Soviet Union was collapsing, they did that."
President Ilham Aliyev said it during his speech at Sumgayit State Drama Theatre at an event dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the city.
The head of state noted that we should not forget this date, and the youth must know the date: "We must not forget this bitter date to analyze today’s realities correctly and give a proper assessment to these realities. We should do so that the youth know it, they should not think that today’s development and prosperity fell from the sky. They should know that we have achieved it at the cost of our blood and lives. We have to turn the most embarrassing pages of our history as well, so that this shameful period is not repeated.
When I say this, of course, first of all, I mean the period of the Azerbaijan National Front - Musavat. The anti-nationalistic gang, that usurped the power illegally in 1992, was leading Azerbaijan to an abyss, Azerbaijan was getting out of hand. We were losing the newly restored independence; chaos, anarchy, arbitrariness, theft, crisis were dominating in the country. The Armenians were occupying our lands, the National Front gave an impetus to a civil war and started bombing Ganja city. A civil war is the heaviest war, because a brother’s blood is shed. They decided to start it to preserve their fluctuating power. When they saw that they could not keep it, they applied to Heydar Aliyev saying, "Come and save us". They were begging. I witnessed it. They sent a helicopter 3 times, because they were going to be killed or toppled. They ran and hid; some of them allegedly froze their positions. At that time, they were using such absurd expressions. If Heydar Aliyev did not come, Azerbaijan would collapse, and the anti-nationalistic Azerbaijan National Front-Musavat gang would receive its punishment. It means that Heydar Aliyev’s humanity saved them from this punishment.
It would not be otherwise, because look at who ruled us. Now, this history is forgotten, but it must not be. Look, in which shameful period Azerbaijan lived. Look, who they were. I have to say once again that it must not be forgotten, young people should not forget it. The President was a researcher, weak, a weakling. He had never been in charge of any institution. He had not even been in charge of a small institution. He just became the president by shouting here and there and embarrassed the country. Look, what staff were selected. Now, it is impossible to imagine that such incompetent people ruled Azerbaijan.
The Prime Minister – he was also a researcher. He could not defend any dissertation either. Everybody knows very well, now, it is not a secret that a person engaged in trade was appointed the Prime Minister. During his time, the word “otkat” (money laundry) came to our vocabulary. He came to embezzle the country, steal its wealth, cut tram lines, sent to Iran and obtained money. He was the Prime Minister. The speaker of the Parliament – he was also a researcher. He studied PhD for 11 years. Imagine, he could not defend his dissertation for 11 years. I do not want to repeat what late academician Ziya Bunyadov said about him. I just cannot allow myself to do that. An unsuccessful PhD, uneducated, illiterate person became the speaker of the parliament. What could we expect from him? Or the state secretary. He wanted to get promoted in Komsomol and then, go to the party work and obtain some position as a careerist. Such people are called "weather vanes". His all history is the history of betrayal. He betrayed Komsomol members, his party leaders, then, he joined the National Front and there, he betrayed Abulfaz Elchibay. Members of the National Front know this well. When Abulfaz Elchibay got sick, he got the happiest. I know this well, there is such information. He was happy that Elchibay would die, and he would take his place.
The latest events have shown what kind of power he has. This hysteria, paranoia, cowardness, what kind of a person considering himself a leader would show this and demonstrate to the entire people that he is subjected to force. This is a lie. Would a person respecting himself say something like that? This person had the desire to become the president, and now, he is trying to lead the National Front created by the people’s movement.
Pay attention to the ministers, who were they? The Defense Minister was a math teacher. He was an uneducated demagogue, a street person. How is he remembered? He sold Shusha to the Armenians. He himself said, there are footages of that, there are archives, "If we lose Shusha, I would put a bullet to my head. How could such a person become the Defense Minister? Could such a person defend our territorial integrity? I am not even talking about his business side. He was carrying the money he obtained here to Moscow. He started a big business there. If necessary, information would be given about that. I pardoned him in 2004, because he was sentenced to life in prison. A person, who sold Shusha, must have been punished like that. Because of him, our territories were occupied. I showed humanity and pardoned him.
How was the Interior Minister different? He, as an official, beat a journalist on live television. If you did something against somebody as an ordinary person, I would say he was offended, he could not control his emotions. However, he came with his bodyguards, beat a journalist and was proud of it. You would better go and defend your native region. When your hometown Kalbajar was occupied, you were the minister. You ran away and looked for a place to hide like a rat. At that time, he sent an away team to Nakhchivan and said he would shoot Heydar Aliyev. Nakhchivan residents replied to him so that he did not even know where to go out of fear. Even the away team did not go there. In general, there was a coup d'eita attempt there. Now, he is walking and thinks everything is forgotten.
The Prosecutor General was taken hostage in Ganja. The president was ordered to be arrested. Here are the Prosecutor General, the Foreign Minister. They could not speak any foreign language. Nobody could even understand what he was saying in Azerbaijani. This is what the National Front, the Musavat power is about. Therefore, we faced this tragic situation. If Heydar Aliyev did not come to Azerbaijan upon the request of the people in 1993, Azerbaijan would collapse. All of them would go and hide in different places as they did. Thus, our independence would be cut short like in the early XX century."