Domestic

Baku – APA. “Moscow State Institute of International Relations has very important place in my biography. I studied, worked and got knowledge there, and what is more, I found staunch friends there. It was very nice years of my life, the years of studentship and youth”, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his article “My Universities” where he described the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in details.

Vesti.az reporter visited the university, where the Azerbaijani President studied, on the eve of his jubilee. He met with the professors of this university, with Ilham Aliyev’s colleagues. He visited the auditoriums, chairs.

Azerbaijani President spent 13 years of his life within the walls of this university, from 1977 to 1990…. Earlier he was the student and then professor of this university.

MGIMO, which, in Russian, stands for Moscow State Institute of International Relations, was founded on October 14, 1944 when the USSR Council of People’s Commissars reorganized the recently created School of International Relations of the Moscow State University into an independent institute. Initially called the Institute of International Relations (IMO) its first 200 students were veterans who had survived the ordeals of the Second World War and were determined to build international peace and stability. It plays a role of unique education and scientific center, influential university not only in Russia, but outside the country. Today MGIMO has seven faculties, six institutes and 68 chairs and provides training in the fields of international relations, political science, global economy, law, management, journalism and public relations to 4,500 undergraduate students as well as graduate researchers. The faculty of about 1,100 includes more than 150 professors (holding a "Doctor of Sciences" degree), more than 400 holders of "Candidate of Sciences" degree, 300 associate professors, as well as over two dozen full and correspondent members of the Russian Academy of Sciences and various specialized Russian and international academies, nine merited scientists of Russia. It provides higher pedagogical and scientific level of the students’ training.

I should acknowledge that I was feeling inconvenience until that I entered the building of MGIMO: suppose the planned meeting didn’t take place? Despite that I obtained consent from MGIMO’s rector Anatoly Vasilyevich Torkounov in Baku. Mr. Torkounov welcomed our plans to prepare reporting from the university where our president studied. But for some reason I feared of failure for the reasons beyond our control. Fortunately my inconvenience was groundless: security gave me ID card to enter the university. MGIMO administration seriously approached our request: Pavel, the employee of receiving office of the pro-rector for international cooperation and public relations Andrei Vladimirovich Silantyev will help me.


“Ilham Aliyev tried not to stand out among the students”


At first, they invited me to the university’s library and specially noted that Ilham Aliyev spent most of the time here during his years in the university. Head of the periodical publications department of the library Raisa Vasilyevna Polevaya is one of the veterans of MGIMO. She has been working here since 1973 and knows Ilham Aliyev from his studentship.

“I saw many generations of students and brilliant personalities among them. Ilham Aliyev, whom I met for the first time at the turn of 1970s, takes special place among these brilliant personalities. He was very different. He had so good relations with the students, employees and professors that sometimes surprised us. You know, our university is not ordinary one, children of elite families were studying here. This tradition continues now. I met Ilham Aliyev in the students’ library where I was working. Those students, who intended to achieve professional successes, were spending much time in the library. Ilham Aliyev was one of them. He tried not to stand out among the students, he was politely greeting everyone, taking the books and reading.

He was interested in the foreign periodical publications. He read mostly American and British publications because he studied United Kingdom. He came to the library almost every day and I conversed with him frequently. Intensive reading helped him to present a thesis. His scientific advisor was our former rector Nikolay Lebedev. By the way, Lebedev didn’t agree to manage researches of everyone. He selected only the students interested in professional work.

I met him when he was working in the local party committee. Years passed, Ilham Aliyev is always at his best. He never refused to help and to advise anyone. He helped everyone not as the employee of the party committee, but as a friend. The people around them respected him for these features. You know when there was a vacuum around the Aliyev’s name in the Central Committee of the USSR Communist Party. It mentioned Ilham Aliyev too. We were doing our best to support him in this difficult period. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Ilham Aliyev courageously overcame difficult times. You need to see how affectionately he was speaking about his father.

I remember his benevolent smile. Professor Natalya Kirillovna Kapitonova is always speaking about him proudly. We feel pride that Ilham Aliyev does not forget us even now – being president of an independent state. When he last visited MGIMO he asked to call Raisa Vasilyeva. This person has not changed. This is very rare in our times – to attract people and be modest.

I want to congratulate Ilham Aliyev on his jubilee. I wish him good health, happiness and success in his hard enough activity. I wish him strength. This person is a history. We always remember and respect him. He has left good memories at MGIMO,” she said,

“Ilham Aliyev defended thesis through struggle”


Dean of international relations faculty of MGIMO Yuri Alekseyevich Bulatov has been working at the university since 1972. He is delighted that he has merits in present achievements of Azerbaijani President:

“Ilham Aliyev was a very active student. It was obvious that he had come to Moscow to study. On the fifth course as one of the best students Ilham Aliyev was recommended for internship abroad. He took internship at the USSR embassy in UK. During the internship Ilham Aliyev gave a good account of himself, he had two choices: to work at the Foreign Ministry, or continue postgraduate education. He chose the second. Ilham Aliyev became a postgraduate student of the chair “History and foreign policy of the European countries and America”,” he said.

I got acquainted with him closely when he was a postgraduate student. Ilham Aliyev was very active in social activities, on the eve of the thesis defense he said he wanted to work at the institute. We had a very strong party organization and Ilham Aliyev as an instructor of the party committee headed the work with the students’ party organizations. He was of much account among the students and his colleagues. First, as a young and promising teacher, second, as the leader of the students. We enjoyed his preparedness, attitude towards people, his ability to realize the essence of the problem, offer the variants of its solution, original variants of solution. Therefore, it is no wonder that Ilham Aliyev holds the highest post in the sovereign Azerbaijan.

By the way, his thesis defense was extraordinary. There was no concession because of his youth and father’s position. I remember well that some discussions emerged during the defense of the thesis. These discussions obnubilated the thesis, the attention was focused on the problems raised by Ilham Aliyev. And finally the voting was not like “there can not be two opinions”, as was common in the Soviet times, one voted against. This shows that there was struggle and Ilham Aliyev won. So, Ilham Aliyev became a young scientist, candidate of historical sciences.

I also remember well the hard period in the life of Heydar Aliyev, the pressures against him. These were hard times for them. Ilham Aliyev worried about his father. But he had a feature that is very important for a politician – to tolerate a blow, overcome pressure. Despite the unfair policy of Gorbachev with respect to Heydar Aliyev, we all were concerned and tried to support our colleague. But the abovementioned unfairness did not have impact on the attitude of our staff towards Ilham Aliyev. On the contrary, we tried to greet him more warmly and demonstrate our support. He tolerated. But in 1990 Ilham Aliyev decided to leave MGIMO and return to Azerbaijan together with his father.
I met with Ilham Aliyev after he was elected as president, though not often as I want. Recently I attended the humanitarian forum in Baku. President Ilham Aliyev’s speech at the forum made a great impression on me. I could come up to him and greet. It was very pleasant that warmness in our relations had been preserved. Ilham Aliyev asked about MGIMO, gave his regards to the staff of the institute. I am sure that power in Azerbaijan is in safe hands.

Ilham Aliyev is at the height of his powers. He marks his 50th birthday. On behalf of our colleagues and on my behalf, I congratulate Ilham Aliyev on his jubilee, wish him good health, happiness. I am sure that friendship between Azerbaijan and Russia will grow stronger under his leadership!

“Ilham Aliyev was very active in MGIMO’s social life”


At last, MGIMO’s rector Anatoly Vasilyevich Torkunov. He spoke willingly about Azerbaijani President, who was his student and colleague:

Ilham Aliyev was a first-year student, when we met for the first time. At that time I was assistant rector. He created a good impression to me: young, smart, sympathetic fellow. Evidently he felt discomfort that time, because he came to Moscow from Baku. But he overcame this discomfort quickly, because he was enough communicable and talented person. He was quickly acquainted with his fellow students and adapted for university easily. He was getting high grades during his studentship and was very active in the university’s social life. It is notable that he worked in the local party’s committee.

After returning from a long-term mission (1983-1986 Anatoly Vasilyevich worked as diplomat – at first second then first secretary in USSR’s embassy in Washington – red.) we started to work with him in one department. The two departments were united later – Ilham Aliyev was working in the department of “History and Policy of Europe and America”, he was studying the United Kingdom, and was organizing courses for the students about this country. I was working in the department of “History and Policy of Asia and Africa” and was studying Korea. Consequently we started to work with him in one department.

Ilham Aliyev always respected his colleagues. For example, he was always listening to the advices of people older than him.

I consider that his pedagogical and public work in MGIMO has a great role in his formation as an analyst and communicable person. We see all it today.

I also had an opportunity to meet Aliyev when he returned to Azerbaijan. We met when he worked in the SOCAR and took the helm of state in the Republic of Azerbaijan. I am very glad that Azerbaijani President remembers his studentship, as well as the years which he worked in MGIMO. He remembers all his friends, fellow students and colleagues.

I would like to congratulate Aliyev on his jubilee. He is at the height of his powers. 50 years is prosperous period of a person, especially a politician who is living for the interests of Azerbaijan and its people. I wish happiness, peace and health to him, as well as his family, pretty daughters and son. Of course, I will send a telegram of congratulation to him and if God pleases will see and congratulate him.

Vesti.az correspondent saw Ilham Aliyev’s student card


The last stage of our visit to MGIMO was our visit to this university’s Museum of History. The Museum was established in 1984, the renewed exposition was opened on September 1, 2001. According to the museum’s employees, more than 7000 people visited it. One of the main exhibit items kept in the MGIMO’s Museum of History is the student card of Ilham Aliyev. But we couldn’t become familiar with Aliyev’s record book, because the record book was presented to Aliyev in 2004 during his visit to MGIMO as the Azerbaijani President. The professors say that he had high grades there.

The first-year students visit the museum every year to become familiar with the history of our institute. We say to all of them Ilham Aliyev is the first among the students of our institute to be president of an independent country.

By the way, in his visit to Russia in 2004, Ilham Aliyev was invited to MGIMO and given honorary doctor title of this institute.

P.S. APA Group team congratulates Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on his 50th jubilee and wishes him strong health, happiness and success in his work.

• Azerbaijan records 427 mine victims since Patriotic War
• SSS deputy chief: Several identified missing martyrs' remains to be handed over to their families in coming days
• 4,010 people registered as missing as a result of military aggression against Azerbaijan to date