14th July and French experience

On 14th July – it was the Bastille Day - I was in a reception organized by the French Embassy in Baku and was listening to opening remarks by Madam Hijran Huseynova, a member of the Azeri government and my former department head at the university.

If I were a French diplomat and if not a diplomatic hypocrisy, I would be offended. Because during her opening remarks, Mrs. Huseynova said an interesting phrase – “Azerbaijan is using the French experience in democracy building.”

Azerbaijan? Democracy building? And the French experience? Wow!

And then, that is why Baku’s sky was decorated by grandiose fireworks on 14th July night – perhaps they were celebrating the Bastille Day?

No, it was the 41st anniversary of Heydar Aliyev’s rise to power. Here is what the official website of the late Azeri President says:

July 14, 1969 is a special date in the new history of Azerbaijan. The same day, national leader Heydar Aliyev rose to the political leadership of the republic, was elected First Secretary of Central Committee of Azerbaijan Communist Party. So, a turning point started in the history of Soviet Azerbaijan. Radical reforms and intensive development started in all spheres in the republic. In the complicated circumstance dominated by totalitarian regime, Heydar Aliyev changed Azerbaijan into one of the most advanced republics in Soviet Union. A huge era in the modern history of Azerbaijan is connected to the personality of great leader Heydar Aliyev, to his large construction action.