Baku, August 26, AZERTAC

On the eve of a birthday Trend requested First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva to tell about herself, about her activities, family, values, her main motivation and what makes her happy.

AZERTAC presents the letter of Mehriban Aliyeva, which she sent to Trend.

- First of all, I express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for the congratulations addressed to me these days. I am deeply touched by your sincerity and warmth, support and love. I thank everyone who appreciates my modest work, who believes and shares my ideals.

Throughout all my activity - public and state - I always try to rely on unshakable truth. Morality and spirituality, humanity and mercy, faith and love, kindness and pure thoughts are the best that God has gifted each of us.

I was born and raised in a family where the traditional values of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia were fundamental. The atmosphere of a big, tight-knit family, in which there was no moralizing, but a special order, where education and science were the highest priority, authority and lifestyle of elders were the best example, where each of the younger ones felt love, but was taught to bear responsibility for his or her commitment, even insignificant for that time, - this all shaped us, the younger generation.

As we were growing up, we began feeling understanding and boundless gratitude to the elders, our parents, because they taught us to strive for the truth and spirituality. By their example, they taught us that dignity and honor are above all, as well as that decency and honesty, mercy and good deeds, faith and love are the path to happiness and harmony.

A sense of responsibility, the desire to achieve maximum results in any undertaking and self-discipline are the qualities that my mother instilled in me. Aida Imanguliyeva was noble, bright, principled, talented, proud and incredibly beautiful. Being irreconcilable to any injustice, passionately devoted to her work, science and pedagogy, my mother reached incredible heights in her short life. She created a new scientific school in the study of modern Arabic literature, and she became the first woman director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. My mother was a world-renowned scientist, and her work is still highly praised in the scientific community today. But at the same time, she always remained a great woman with a huge loving heart, with a subtle and generous soul. It has been 27 years since I lost my mother. I still miss her so much.

My father, academician Arif Pashayev, is for me an ideal of humanity, kindness and wisdom. A lot has been written about his achievements in science and education. His human qualities - inexhaustible optimism and positivity, the ability to empathize, support, and find the right words for everyone, the talent to share and fill everyone with bright energy, his wisdom and infinite kindness are my life guidelines. He heads the National Aviation Academy for many years. The atmosphere of mutual respect, warm, almost comradely relations between students and the rector are another confirmation of his high personal and professional qualities.

I am happy that I lived most of my life next to the greatest personality of modern Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. Until the end of my life I will keep a sense of immeasurable respect, admiration and love for this phenomenal person. He symbolizes strength and power, boundless intellect, unbending will, the highest moral and dignity, immense patriotism and love for the native land and people. He is unattainable ideal and the main Teacher in my life.

Family for me, I think just like for everyone, is the main meaning and stimulus in any life situations. It is my foothold and strength.

My husband, President Ilham Aliyev, has been serving his people for over 16 years. All his achievements, thanks to which Azerbaijan has become a powerful, successfully developing, respected country all over the world, the country which we - the citizens of independent Azerbaijan - are rightfully proud of, are based on his selfless love and devotion to his people. His main mission is to always and everywhere protect the interests of our Motherland.

From where does he get strength on this incredibly difficult path? First of all, he gets it from the support, faith and love of his people.

I believe that a happy personal, family life, an atmosphere of love and mutual respect, also play their irreplaceable role.

I am proud of my children. First of all, I am proud that they grew up into decent people. I am proud that I never had to experience shame or frustration for their actions. I am also proud that Leyla, Arzu and Heydar take their work and studies seriously and responsibly, that they honor and respect family traditions, and have clear moral guidelines. I am happy that my children are kind and not indifferent to other’s sufferings. I am confident in them, because humanity and mercy along with honesty and dignity are the best guidelines in this life.

I rarely give interviews and I do not like talking about myself. It turned out this way that I am a public person, but I never aspired to publicity and fame. If I manage to achieve results, if my activity is beneficial, serves the country and people, if I was able to help someone who needed it, this is the highest award for me.

Happiness is when one feels needed and helpful, when you are trusted and supported. Happiness is when your conscience and thoughts are pure, when love and kindness are the main motivation of life.

Of course, any success and achievement depends on a teamwork. I am proud that bright, talented, purposeful, hardworking and caring people, my allies and like-minded people have been with me all these years. I express my deep gratitude and respect to all those with whom I have been working for many years, as well as to those who have once been involved in our projects and undertakings.

My most sincere and heartfelt gratitude go to the Azerbaijani people, to every citizen of our country, for the talent and ability to carry and preserve through the centuries the best features of our nation: courage and endurance, devotion to our native land and heroism, nobility and tolerance, mercy and faith, kindness and spiritual generosity!

May Allah protect each of you and our beautiful Homeland!

With love,

Sincerely yours,

Mehriban Aliyeva

The staff of AZERTAC congratulates Mehriban Aliyeva on her birthday and joins numerous kind and cordial wishes addressed to her.