Heydar Aliyev`s address to the party organization of the USSR Cabinet of Ministers - Moscow, July 19, 1991


This is to bring to your attention that I have made the decision on leaving the CPSU. At once I want to warn that it is not simply to be keen on "fashion", but the result of the heavy way of disappointments experienced by me and reassessments of events during the last years.

The principal reasons, which have made me undertake this step, are as follows.

The first. The question on leaving the CPSU has arisen after the events on January 20, 1990, when military aggression was carried out against the Azerbaijani people by the political leadership of the center and the Central Committee of Azerbaijan Communist Party. As a result of January events, hundreds of innocent peace inhabitants, among which there were old men, women and children, were killed and mutilated.

Having condemned this antihuman, anticonstitutional and illegal action in my statements, I hoped that the CPSU Central Committee, Central Committee of Azerbaijan CP will reveal this crime, unmask its originators. Hardly having overcome myself, I waited patiently. And in reply to my statements, the mass media attacks were soon organized on the part of party`s publications against me which started with the newspaper "Pravda". All my attempts to act in the same mass media with the argued refutation of the far-fetched facts against me were in vain. The publicity proclaimed as the basic achievement of reconstruction appeared to be unilateral in practice.

Numerous appeals by People`s Deputies, Supreme Mejlis of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, various groups of citizens, prominent representatives of intelligentsia about unmasking of January tragedy originators and their punishment were persistently rejected by a communist leadership of Azerbaijan.

It has passed a year and a half. Nothing has been done for revealing this monstrous crime whose originators are known for a long time, but on the contrary, all necessary measures for its concealment have been undertaken. They consider that time will help to forget this tragedy. However, the history repeatedly proved that neither years, nor decades can force to forget and forgive bloody crimes against people.

The second. As a result of the hypocritical policy by the center, more than three years a sharp disputed situation is being kept in the Mountainous Garabag (Nagorno-Karabakh) region of Azerbaijan, arisen by efforts of the Armenian nationalists under the protection of the CPSU Central Committee. As a matter of fact, the region has dropped out of the state management of Azerbaijan entirely.

The state sovereignty, territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, contrary to the Constitution, is roughly violated. There is an undeclared war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which people from both sides are killed everyday. And all these are usual cases for the Soviet state with its "humane ideology".

I am sure that if the party leadership have desired, the interethnic conflict which was arisen concerning the so-called Mountainous Garabag (Nagorno-Karabakh) issue still in 1987-88, they could have prevented directly when it started deepening confrontation and the bloodshed which have brought the disasters and sufferings to both Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples could be intercepted. So, this conflict was necessary for the political center.

The third. During democratization in all society, declaration of political freedoms and pluralism, the wide democratic movement which has risen in Azerbaijan since 1988 for protection of republic`s territorial integrity and democratization of a society, is persistently suppressed by the efforts of Azerbaijan CP Central Committee under the direction of the CPSU Central Committee. For these years many persons are subjected to repression on political grounds.

Two million people in the capital of Azerbaijan live in a regime of state of emergency without any basis for a year and a half. In this condition the so-called "democratic" elections to the Supreme Soviet of republic and a referendum with obviously positive result for the benefit of preservation of the Union were conducted. It would be naivet to believe that it is possible to hope for any democracy and free will of people in state of emergency. The democratic organizations repeatedly raised a question that the overwhelming majority of voters in the republic did not participate in a referendum and its results were falsified. However, the communist leadership of Azerbaijan has not considered it as a necessity to look through these appeals.

I have acted and I am acting against the new Union contract thrust by the center. There can not be sovereignty for several states in the structure of one sovereign state with all freedom, authorities and functions following from this concept.

It is necessary to give to all union republics the real political, economic freedom and independence for the national-state revival. It will in no way interfere the economic integration and traditional cultural communications of republics, but on the contrary, it will promote their development on a bilateral and multilateral basis.

Being the people`s deputy of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan Autonomous republic, I repeatedly raised all these issues in my statements, offered the Azerbaijan Communist Party, which completely has lost prestige among people, to refuse autocracy, to provide conditions for free and equal rights in the activity of all political forces, to create conditions for becoming democratic society, political pluralism and publicity in full.

However, my statements and offers are not only considered by a communist leadership of Azerbaijan, on the contrary, responded as the new, prepared and organized attacks to my address. Editors of newspapers, journalists in Azerbaijan are expelled from work and persecuted for the publication of my statements.

All the above-stated has forced me to make the last step and to declare my leaving the CPSU, though it was extremely difficult for me. I have grown in a family of communist, and all my conscious life is connected with communist party. I connected my life with bolshevik party when I was 20 in 1943.

I sincerely trusted in ideals of Communist party and actively participated in realization of its plans. Now all these beliefs have been destroyed.

Limitless statements on updated party, updated union of republics are the next deceit to people.

It is necessary to tell fairly and openly to people that communism experiment, a socialist choice in our country did not justify itself, the union of republics formed and kept by force is being collapsed.

I imagine the possible difficulties which will arise before me after this statement, I expect every possible attacks and moral persecution. The sober analysis of the way gone by the party, has led me to the present position which I have stated above. Thus, I also realize the degree of my responsibility. As leaving ranks of the CPSU, I express my respect to all decent and honest communists.

 
Heydar Aliyev