Baku, Azerbaijan-On May 10, the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy held an event honoring the 87th anniversary of the birth of the national leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev. It was attended by staff and students of the Academy, young diplomats, as well as staff of other ministries attending short courses on international relations and diplomacy.

The rector of the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, Deputy Foreign Minister Hafiz Pashayev, who referred to Heydar Aliyev as "diplomat number one", shared his memories of the late President’s first visits to the U.S. during the difficult times of the 1990's.

The Rector recalled specific cases of how Heydar Aliyev defended the national interests of the country, informed the Americans about the Karabakh conflict and used his meetings with President Clinton and President Bush to strengthen our independence. "Heydar Aliyev was a real master of world geopolitics and he managed to put Azerbaijan on the world map", Ambassador Pashayev noted.

Students were given the opportunity to ask questions about details of Heydar Aliyev's official visits to the U.S. and their significance in strengthening the sovereignty of Azerbaijan and the establishment of a truly independent foreign policy.