“We repeatedly met and talked to Mr. President Heydar Aliyev. Experience of such known politician as Heydar Aliyev, personally for me represents very much great value.

President Heydar Aliyev is extremely interesting person. If to take into account, that he is one of the leaders of a world scale we shall see, that he is a bright person. I wanted to be acquainted with him even before his election as the President. However, unfortunately, it was not possible to me. Our first meeting has taken place in Lisbon, and then we met on other international actions. If to take into account, that we belong to the different worlds, should tell that today I observed very interesting experience.

That fact is interesting also, that Heydar Aliyev was in the system of management of the totalitarian state. However, he has understood that the rate of reforms and transformations follows in the certain direction, and he has managed to go this rate. The majority of leaders in the Central and Southern Europe have failed to achieve such results, as President Heydar Aliyev. The history has rejected aside leaders who have failed to achieve the certain results.

President Heydar Aliyev possesses experience of management on the supreme post. Alongside with it, he sincerely trusts in value of democracy, market economy and human rights.

Important ideas available at President Heydar Aliyev can change people, which, in turn, can change destiny of people together.

I think that Heydar Aliev has played and will play extremely important role in world politics. Today, I have found out his one more quality – the quality of the outstanding statesman joining the important projects, stipulated for lines of generations. I have in view of the Silk Road being in a certain degree historical chance. The most important is not to use people, and, on the contrary, to serve it”.

June 1998