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| nationality = [[Azerbaijanis|Azerbaijani]]
| nationality = [[Azerbaijanis|Azerbaijani]]
| native_name = {{nobold|Əbülfəz Elçibəy}}
| native_name = {{nobold|Əbülfəz Elçibəy}}
| image = Abulfaz_Elchibey_(1992).jpg
| image = Abulfaz Elchibey.jpg
| caption = Elchibey in 1992
| caption =
| order = 2nd
| order = 2nd
| office = President of Azerbaijan
| office = President of Azerbaijan
Line 15: Line 15:
| predecessor = [[Ayaz Mutallibov]] <br /> [[Isa Gambar]] {{small|(acting)}}
| predecessor = [[Ayaz Mutallibov]] <br /> [[Isa Gambar]] {{small|(acting)}}
| successor = [[Heydar Aliyev]]
| successor = [[Heydar Aliyev]]
| birth_name = Abulfaz Gadirgulu oghlu Aliyev
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|6|24|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|6|24|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kələki|Kalaki]], [[Ordubad District]], [[Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Nakhichivan ASSR]], [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic|Azerbaijan SSR]], [[Soviet Union|USSR]]
| birth_place = [[Kələki|Kalaki]], [[Ordubad District]], [[Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Nakhichivan ASSR]], [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic|Azerbaijan SSR]], [[Soviet Union|USSR]]
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}}
}}


'''Abulfaz Elchibey''' ({{lang-az|Əbülfəz Elçibəy}}; 24 June 1938 – 22 August 2000)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/182183/Abulfaz-Elchibey|title=Abulfaz Elchibey – president of Azerbaijan|access-date=12 July 2017}}</ref> was an Azerbaijani [[political figure]] and a former [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] dissident. His real name was '''Abulfaz Gadirgulu oghlu Aliyev''' (Azerbaijani: ''Əbülfəz Qədirqulu oğlu Əliyev''), but he assumed the nickname of Elchibey (Azerbaijani for the "noble messenger") upon his leadership of the [[Azerbaijani Popular Front Party|Azerbaijani Popular Front]] in 1990. Elchibey was the [[president of Azerbaijan]], serving from 17 June 1992 until his overthrow in a [[coup d'état]] on 24 June 1993. He positioned himself as a [[Pan-Turkism|pan-Turkist]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gasimov |first1=Zaur |title=Observing Iran from Baku: Iranian Studies in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan |journal=Iranian Studies |date=2022|volume=55|issue=1|page=52|doi=10.1080/00210862.2020.1865136|s2cid=233889871 }}</ref> with [[Anti-Iranian sentiment|anti-Iranian]] views.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=Ronen A. |last2=Lev |first2=Tzvi |title=A Triangle of Interests: Azerbaijan, Iran and Israel |journal=Iran and the Caucasus |date=2021 |volume=25 |issue=1 |page=84 |doi=10.1163/1573384X-20210108 |s2cid=236630765 |quote=Strongly anti-Iran, Elchibey supported a pro-Western foreign policy, called for Iran’s Turkophone population to unify with Azerbaijan, and accused the Islamic Republic of fomenting a religious revival among his country’s Shi‘ites.}}</ref>
'''Abulfaz Gadirgulu oghlu Aliyev''' ({{langx|az|Əbülfəz Qədirqulu oğlu Əliyev}}; 24 June 1938 – 22 August 2000), better known as '''Abulfaz Elchibey''' ({{langx|az|Əbülfəz Elçibəy|links=no}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/182183/Abulfaz-Elchibey|title=Abulfaz Elchibey – president of Azerbaijan|access-date=12 July 2017}}</ref> was an Azerbaijani politician, [[Azerbaijani nationalism|Azerbaijani nationalist]] and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] dissident who was the first and only democratically elected President in post-Soviet Azerbaijan. He was the leader of the [[Azerbaijani Popular Front Party|Azerbaijani Popular Front]] and played an important role in achieving Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union.

Elchibey was elected as the [[president of Azerbaijan]] in independent Azerbaijan's first free election. He served from 17 June 1992 until his overthrow in a [[1993 Azerbaijani coup d'état|24 June 1993 military coup]] backed by Russia that led to the installation of [[Heydar Aliyev]] as president.<ref name=":16">{{Citation |last=Altstadt |first=Audrey L. |title=Azerbaijan's struggle toward democracy |date=1997 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/conflict-cleavage-and-change-in-central-asia-and-the-caucasus/azerbaijans-struggle-toward-democracy/4973616DA6867A781E2FE7C3D4DB96B7 |work=Conflict, Cleavage, and Change in Central Asia and the Caucasus |pages=110–155 |editor-last=Parrott |editor-first=Bruce |series=Democratization and Authoritarianism in Post-Communist Societies |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-59731-9 |editor2-last=Dawisha |editor2-first=Karen}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cornell |first=Svante E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4aZzCQAAQBAJ |title=Azerbaijan Since Independence |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-47620-7 |pages=78 |language=en |quote=The evidence that Surat Husyenov‘s coup was engineered in Moscow is as incontrovertible as it gets.}}</ref> Elchibey's brief rule was the only post-Soviet period in which Azerbaijan has been democratic.<ref name=":16" /> During his rule, Elchibey sought to dismantle the old communist system domestically, such as the planned economy and the black market.<ref name=":16" /> In his foreign policy, he sought to re-orient Azerbaijan to the West.<ref name=":16" /> However, Elchibey's attempted reforms were put to a halt by the 1993 coup.<ref name=":16" />

According to historian [[Audrey Altstadt]], Elchibey faced several major problems during his tenure as president: "the [[First Nagorno-Karabakh War|war in Nagorno-Karabagh]] (with loss of land and creation of refugees), inflation and related economic problems (including slow progress on an oil deal with foreign investors), and the remnants of Russian-Soviet control and influence of the old order. The most immediately pressing problem was unrest around [[Baku]]."<ref name=":16" /> During his tenure, Elchibey had to contend with an administration staffed by former Communists and military forces that were not under his control.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ottaway |first=Marina |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1mtz6c5 |title=Democracy Challenged: The Rise of Semi-Authoritarianism |date=2003 |publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |isbn=978-0-87003-195-3 |pages=56–57|doi=10.2307/j.ctt1mtz6c5 |jstor=j.ctt1mtz6c5 }}</ref>

He positioned himself as a [[Pan-Turkism|pan-Turkist]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gasimov |first1=Zaur |title=Observing Iran from Baku: Iranian Studies in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan |journal=Iranian Studies |date=2022|volume=55|issue=1|page=52|doi=10.1080/00210862.2020.1865136|s2cid=233889871 }}</ref> while holding hostile views towards [[Anti-Iranian sentiment in Azerbaijan|Iran]] and Russia.<ref>{{Citation |last=Waal |first=Thomas de |title=Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War |date=2013 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.18574/nyu/9780814770825.001.0001/html |work=Black Garden |pages=87 |publisher=New York University Press |language=en |doi=10.18574/nyu/9780814770825.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-8147-7082-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=Ronen A. |last2=Lev |first2=Tzvi |title=A Triangle of Interests: Azerbaijan, Iran and Israel |journal=Iran and the Caucasus |date=2021 |volume=25 |issue=1 |page=84 |doi=10.1163/1573384X-20210108 |s2cid=236630765 |quote=Strongly anti-Iran, Elchibey supported a pro-Western foreign policy, called for Iran’s Turkophone population to unify with Azerbaijan, and accused the Islamic Republic of fomenting a religious revival among his country’s Shi‘ites.}}</ref>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
[[File:14 saylı Cəzaçəkmə Müəssisəsi.jpg|thumb|Correctional colony No. 14 in [[Qaradağ raion]], where he served his sentence.|left]]
[[File:14 saylı Cəzaçəkmə Müəssisəsi.jpg|thumb|Correctional colony No. 14 in [[Qaradağ raion]], where he served his sentence.|left]]
Elchibey studied [[Arabic]] at the [[Baku State University]] and graduated in 1957 from the department of Arab philology of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. He worked as a translator and later as a lecturer of history at the Baku State University. From 1963 to 1964 he practiced in Egypt, working as a translator.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1367190/Abulfaz-Elchibey.html|title=Abulfaz Elchibey|date=23 August 2000 |access-date=12 July 2017}}</ref> He soon joined the [[Soviet dissidents|Soviet dissident movement]], supporting the re-establishment of Azebaijani independence.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} From 1975 to 1976 he was imprisoned.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} Thereafter he worked at the [[Institute of Manuscripts of Azerbaijan]] and published over 50 scientific works on oriental philosophy, history, literature and religion.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
Abulfaz Aliyev studied [[Arabic]] at the [[Baku State University]] and graduated in 1957 from the Department of Arab Philology of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. He worked as a translator and later as a lecturer of history at the Baku State University. From 1963 to 1964 he lived in Egypt, working as a translator.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1367190/Abulfaz-Elchibey.html|title=Abulfaz Elchibey|date=23 August 2000 |access-date=12 July 2017}}</ref> He soon joined the [[Soviet dissidents|Soviet dissident movement]], supporting the re-establishment of Azerbaijani independence.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} He was arrested in 1975 on charges of defaming the Soviet Union and spent 18 months in prison.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cornell |first=Svante E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4aZzCQAAQBAJ |title=Azerbaijan Since Independence |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-47620-7 |pages=52 |language=en}}</ref> Thereafter he worked at the [[Institute of Manuscripts of Azerbaijan]] and published over 50 scientific works on oriental philosophy, history, literature and religion.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

He assumed the nickname of Elchibey (Azerbaijani for "noble messenger") upon his leadership of the [[Azerbaijani Popular Front Party|Azerbaijani Popular Front]] in 1990.


== Presidency ==
== Presidency ==
=== Assumption of power ===
=== Assumption of power ===
Elchibey's rise to presidency came after the first round of heavy losses of [[Azerbaijan]] in the war against [[Armenia]] in the [[First Nagorno-Karabakh War]]. After the [[Khojaly Massacre]] (26–27 February 1992), the [[Battle of Shusha (1992)|fall of Shusha]] (8 May 1992) and [[Lachin]] (15–17 May 1992), the temporary Azerbaijani communist establishment led by [[Yaqub Mammadov]] could no longer hold power. Amidst the disorder on the frontline, former Azerbaijani president [[Ayaz Mutalibov]]'s attempted comeback, two months after his resignation, in a parliamentary coup on 14 May 1992, resulted in public outrage and military overthrow of Mutalibov by the [[Azerbaijani Popular Front]] in [[Baku]] on 15 May 1992.
Elchibey's rise to presidency came after the first round of heavy losses of [[Azerbaijan]] in the war against [[Armenia]] in the [[First Nagorno-Karabakh War]]. After the [[Khojaly Massacre]] (26–27 February 1992), the [[Battle of Shusha (1992)|fall of Shusha]] (8 May 1992) and [[Lachin]] (15–17 May 1992), the temporary Azerbaijani communist establishment led by [[Yaqub Mammadov]] could no longer hold power. Amidst disorder on the frontline, former Azerbaijani president [[Ayaz Mutalibov]] attempted a comeback two months after his resignation in a parliamentary coup on 14 May 1992, resulting in public outrage and the military overthrow of Mutalibov by the [[Azerbaijani Popular Front]] in [[Baku]] on 15 May 1992.


The [[1992 Azerbaijani presidential election|national presidential election]] with 7 candidates were held on 7 June 1992 in which Elchibey was elected the President of Azerbaijan, gaining 54% of votes and becoming Azerbaijan's first democratically elected, non-communist president.
The [[1992 Azerbaijani presidential election|national presidential election]] with 7 candidates was held on 7 June 1992 in which Elchibey was elected the President of Azerbaijan, gaining 54% of votes and becoming Azerbaijan's first democratically elected, non-communist president.


=== Domestic policies ===
=== Domestic policies ===
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==== Karabakh ====
==== Karabakh ====
In June 1992, the Azerbaijani army started a counter-offensive codenamed [[Operation Goranboy]] in Nagorno-Karabakh, establishing control of over 40% of the region by the fall of 1992 and approaching within 7 kilometers of Shusha. However, as the Azerbaijani offensive pushed further into Karabakh, it became further bogged down in controversy, mismanagement, corruption and treachery by Elchibey-appointed Defense Minister [[Rahim Gaziyev]], along with the [[guerilla tactics]] of the [[Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army|NKR Army]] in [[mountain warfare]]. This led to unexpectedly heavy Azeri casualties, loss of heavy military equipment, and the campaign ending in failure.
In June 1992, the Azerbaijani army started a counter-offensive codenamed [[Operation Goranboy]] in Nagorno-Karabakh, establishing control of over 40% of the region by the fall of 1992 and approaching within 7 kilometers of Shusha. However, as the Azerbaijani offensive pushed further into Karabakh, it became further bogged down in controversy, mismanagement, corruption and treachery by Elchibey-appointed Defense Minister [[Rahim Gaziyev]], along with the [[guerilla tactics]] of the [[Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army|NKR Army]] in [[mountain warfare]]. This led to unexpectedly heavy Azeri casualties, loss of heavy military equipment, and the campaign ending in failure.{{cn|date=June 2024}}


===Foreign policy===
===Foreign policy===
On 18 August 1992, Elchibey signed a decree on Azerbaijan's entry into the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Чернявский |first1=Станислав |title=Новый путь Азербайджана |date=2002 |publisher=Азер-Медиа |isbn=9785212009164 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cQwjAQAAIAAJ&q=%D1%8D%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B9+%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7 |language=ru}}</ref> On 7 and 8 September 1992, former British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] visited Baku on an unofficial visit as a guest of Elchibey. During her visit, she oversaw the signing ceremony of an agreement between Azerbaijan, [[British Petroleum]] and [[Equinor|Statoil]] on exploratory work at the [[Chirag oilfield]]. In this respect, one of Elchibey's goals in inviting Thatcher was to attract foreign entrepreneurs looking to do business in Azerbaijan. During a reception at the [[Gulustan Palace]], he described Thatcher as one that played a role in Azerbaijan achieving independence, saying that "she can see the fruits of the tree she planted".<ref>{{cite web |title=Baroness Thatcher in Baku |url=http://www.visions.az/en/news/449/1eb65f4b/ |website=Visions of Azerbaijan Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Thatcher in Baku: How BP broke into Azerbaijan |url=https://platformlondon.org/2012/09/13/thatcher-in-baku-how-bp-broke-into-azerbaijan/ |website=platformlondon.org |date=13 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Pipe Dreams – The Struggle for Caspian Oil |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/europe/caspian100498c.htm |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
On 18 August 1992, Elchibey signed a decree on Azerbaijan's entry into the [[International Monetary Fund]] and the [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Чернявский |first1=Станислав |title=Новый путь Азербайджана |date=2002 |publisher=Азер-Медиа |isbn=9785212009164 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cQwjAQAAIAAJ&q=%D1%8D%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B9+%D1%83%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7 |language=ru}}</ref> On 7 and 8 September 1992, former British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] visited Baku on an unofficial visit as a guest of Elchibey. During her visit, she oversaw the signing ceremony of an agreement between Azerbaijan, [[BP]] and [[Equinor|Statoil]] on exploratory work at the [[Chirag oilfield]]. In this respect, one of Elchibey's goals in inviting Thatcher was to attract foreign entrepreneurs looking to do business in Azerbaijan. During a reception at the [[Gulustan Palace]], he described Thatcher as being one who played a role in Azerbaijan achieving independence, saying that "she can see the fruits of the tree she planted".<ref>{{cite web |title=Baroness Thatcher in Baku |url=http://www.visions.az/en/news/449/1eb65f4b/ |website=Visions of Azerbaijan Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Thatcher in Baku: How BP broke into Azerbaijan |url=https://platformlondon.org/2012/09/13/thatcher-in-baku-how-bp-broke-into-azerbaijan/ |website=platformlondon.org |date=13 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Pipe Dreams – The Struggle for Caspian Oil |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/europe/caspian100498c.htm |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>


====Turkey====
====Turkey====
In 1992, during a visit to the Turkish capital of [[Ankara]], Elchibey described himself as a soldier of [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Atatürk]] (founder and the first president of Turkish Republic).<ref>{{cite web |title=Абульфаз Эльчибей: 82 года борцу за свободу Азербайджана |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/ru/%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80/%D0%B0%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%84%D0%B0%D0%B7-%D1%8D%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B9-82-%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%86%D1%83-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%83-%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%B4%D0%B6%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0/1888102 |website=www.aa.com.tr |date=24 June 2020}}</ref> He also held some [[Pan-Turkism|Pan-Turanian]] views, for which he enjoyed the support of the leader of Turkey's [[Nationalist Movement Party]], Colonel [[Alparslan Türkeş]]. In April 1993, he attended the funeral of President [[Turgut Özal]] in [[Istanbul]], a person who shared his beliefs for a potential Turkic union from the former Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/04/21/Thousands-turn-out-for-funeral-of-Turkish-President-Ozal/1331735364800/|title=Thousands turn out for funeral of Turkish President Ozal}}</ref>
In 1992, during a visit to the Turkish capital of [[Ankara]], Elchibey described himself as a soldier of [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] (founder and the first president of Turkish Republic).<ref>{{cite web |title=Абульфаз Эльчибей: 82 года борцу за свободу Азербайджана |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/ru/%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80/%D0%B0%D0%B1%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%84%D0%B0%D0%B7-%D1%8D%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B9-82-%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%86%D1%83-%D0%B7%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%83-%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%B4%D0%B6%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0/1888102 |website=www.aa.com.tr |date=24 June 2020}}</ref> He also held some [[Pan-Turkism|pan-Turanian]] views, for which he enjoyed the support of the leader of the Turkish [[Nationalist Movement Party]], Colonel [[Alparslan Türkeş]]. In April 1993, he attended the funeral of President [[Turgut Özal]] in [[Istanbul]], a person who shared his beliefs for a potential Turkic union from the former Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/04/21/Thousands-turn-out-for-funeral-of-Turkish-President-Ozal/1331735364800/|title=Thousands turn out for funeral of Turkish President Ozal}}</ref>


====Russia====
====Russia====
During his one-year rule, [[Azerbaijan–Russia relations|Azerbaijani–Russian relations]] were damaged, with his politics being described in this regard as "anti-Russian."<ref name="Svante">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ff2zOZYaZx0C&q=elchibey%20iran&pg=PA324|title=Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus|first=Svante|last=Cornell|date=1 December 2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9780203988879|access-date=29 September 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref> He was noted for using an interpreter when speaking to Russian figures, despite being fluent in the [[Russian language]] as he was educated in the USSR.<ref name="Сахаров-центр">{{cite news| title=Азербайджанская революция| publisher=Sakharov-cente| url=http://www.sakharov-center.ru/publications/azrus/az_005.htm| author=Дмитрий ФУРМАН, Али АБАСОВ|url-status= dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221124913/http://www.sakharov-center.ru/publications/azrus/az_005.htm| archive-date=2011-02-21}}</ref> Often teasing the Russian leadership, he once declared that among the Russians who did the greatest services to democracy was [[Tatar]] President [[Mintimer Shaimiev]] and in a congratulatory telegram sent in connection with the adoption of a new Tatar constitution Elchibey wrote that "the heroic Tatar people" have contributed to the "awakening and revival of the Turkic world".<ref>Д. Фурман. Возвращение в третий мир. Грустная история про азербайджанскую демократию (рус.) // Свободная мысль. — 1993. — № 11. — С. 25.</ref> On 12 September 1992, he paid a visit to Moscow, during which he signed, along with [[Boris Yeltsin]], the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Security between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.<ref>{{cite news | title= Подписан двусторонний договор|publisher=Газета «Коммерсантъ»| url=http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?fromsearch=b628e53e-2156-4b80-a1e8-ba92f4a4a204&docsid=26504| date=13 October 1992}}</ref>
During his one-year rule, [[Azerbaijan–Russia relations|Azerbaijani–Russian relations]] were damaged, with his politics being described in this regard as "anti-Russian."<ref name="Svante">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ff2zOZYaZx0C&q=elchibey%20iran&pg=PA324|title=Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus|first=Svante|last=Cornell|date=1 December 2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9780203988879|access-date=29 September 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref> He was noted for using an interpreter when speaking to Russian figures, despite being fluent in the [[Russian language]] as he was educated in the USSR.<ref name="Сахаров-центр">{{cite news| title=Азербайджанская революция| publisher=Sakharov-cente| url=http://www.sakharov-center.ru/publications/azrus/az_005.htm| author=Дмитрий ФУРМАН, Али АБАСОВ|url-status= dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221124913/http://www.sakharov-center.ru/publications/azrus/az_005.htm| archive-date=2011-02-21}}</ref> Often teasing the Russian leadership, he once declared that among the Russians who did the greatest services to democracy was [[Head of Tatarstan|Tatarstan President]] [[Mintimer Shaimiev]] and in a congratulatory telegram sent in connection with the adoption of a new Tatar constitution, Elchibey wrote that "the heroic Tatar people" have contributed to the "awakening and revival of the Turkic world".<ref>Д. Фурман. Возвращение в третий мир. Грустная история про азербайджанскую демократию (рус.) // Свободная мысль. — 1993. — № 11. — С. 25.</ref> On 12 September 1992, he paid a visit to Moscow, during which he signed, along with [[Boris Yeltsin]], the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Security between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.<ref>{{cite news | title= Подписан двусторонний договор|publisher=Газета «Коммерсантъ»| url=http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?fromsearch=b628e53e-2156-4b80-a1e8-ba92f4a4a204&docsid=26504| date=13 October 1992}}</ref>


====Iran====
====Iran====
Elchibey was described as being "vehemently anti-Iranian" in his policies, this being due in part to their perception of an Iranian–Armenian alliance.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ff2zOZYaZx0C&q=elchibey+iran&pg=PA324|title=Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus|first=Svante|last=Cornell|date=1 December 2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|access-date=28 September 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9780203988879}}</ref> Elchibey endorsed the [[Whole Azerbaijan|unification of Azerbaijan]] with the region that is known as [[Iranian Azerbaijan]], a stance which alienated the [[Iranian government]] in [[Tehran]]. During a visit to Turkey, he called for the downfall of the Iranian Islamic Republic, which prompted a member of the [[Iranian parliament]] to threaten retaliation against the Republic of Azerbaijan.<ref>Alaolmolki, Nozar. ''Life After the Soviet Union''. published in 2001 page 50.</ref>
Elchibey was described as being "vehemently [[Anti-Iranian sentiment in Azerbaijan|anti-Iranian]]" in his policies, this being due in part to their perception of an Iranian–Armenian alliance.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ff2zOZYaZx0C&q=elchibey+iran&pg=PA324|title=Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus|first=Svante|last=Cornell|date=1 December 2000|publisher=Taylor & Francis|access-date=28 September 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9780203988879}}</ref> Elchibey endorsed the [[Whole Azerbaijan|unification of Azerbaijan]] with the region that is known as [[Azerbaijan (Iran)|Iranian Azerbaijan]], a stance which alienated the [[Government of Iran|Iranian government]]. During a visit to Turkey, he called for the downfall of the Iranian Islamic Republic, which prompted a member of the [[Iranian parliament]] to threaten retaliation against the Republic of Azerbaijan.<ref>Alaolmolki, Nozar. ''Life After the Soviet Union''. published in 2001 page 50.</ref>


====Other states====
====Other states====
Elchibey paid a visit to [[Ukraine]] on 12 November 1992,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/32989|title=Визит Абульфаза Эльчибея в Киев|date=11 December 1992|website=www.kommersant.ru}}</ref> during which he said that relations with Ukraine will be prioritized by Azerbaijan from the [[Post-Soviet states|former republics of the Soviet Union]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/32835|title=Эльчибей поехал в Киев|date=10 December 1992|website=www.kommersant.ru}}</ref>
Elchibey paid a visit to [[Ukraine]] on 12 November 1992,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/32989|title=Визит Абульфаза Эльчибея в Киев|date=11 December 1992|website=www.kommersant.ru}}</ref> during which he said that, from the [[Post-Soviet states|former republics of the Soviet Union]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/32835|title=Эльчибей поехал в Киев|date=10 December 1992|website=www.kommersant.ru}}</ref> relations with Ukraine would be prioritized by Azerbaijan.


=== Downfall ===
=== Downfall ===
{{Main|1993 Azerbaijani coup d'état}}
As rebellious troops were advancing onto Baku, President Elchibey invited [[Heydar Aliyev]], former [[Soviet Politburo]] member and then head of [[Nakhchivan (city)|Nakhchivan]] (and no relation to Elchibey, whose real surname was Aliyev), to Baku on 9 June 1993 for negotiations with [[Surat Huseynov]]. Aliyev quickly took control of the power, becoming the Chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament on 15 June 1993 and giving a chair of the Prime-Minister of the country to Huseynov. Nine days later, in the vacuum of power left by Elchibey's departure to Nakhchivan, Aliyev, as a speaker of the parliament, constitutionally assumed presidential powers. He signed the [[Bishkek Protocol]] to cease hostilities on the frontline, and further solidified his power by organizing impeachment hearings and holding a [[1993 Azerbaijani vote of confidence referendum|national referendum]] on 29 August 1993, which formally stripped Elchibey of the presidency. In another national election, on 3 October 1993, Heydar Aliyev, was elected as president of Azerbaijan with 99% of the votes.{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}}
On 9 June 1993, as rebellious troops were advancing onto Baku, President Elchibey invited [[Heydar Aliyev]], former [[Soviet Politburo]] member and then head of [[Nakhchivan (city)|Nakhchivan]] (and no relation to Elchibey, whose real surname was Aliyev), to Baku for negotiations with [[Surat Huseynov]]. Aliyev quickly took control of the power, becoming the Chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament on 15 June 1993 and offering the prime ministership of the country to Huseynov. Nine days later, in the vacuum of power left by Elchibey's departure to Nakhchivan, Aliyev constitutionally assumed presidential powers in his capacity as parliament speaker. He signed the [[Bishkek Protocol]] to cease hostilities on the frontline, and further solidified his power by organizing impeachment hearings and holding a [[1993 Azerbaijani vote of confidence referendum|national referendum]] on 29 August 1993, which formally stripped Elchibey of the presidency.

In [[1993 Azerbaijani presidential election|another national election]], on 3 October 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected as president of Azerbaijan with 99% of the votes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=International Foundation on Election Systems |date=April 1994 |title=Elections Today |journal=Elections Today |volume=4 (Number 2-3) |pages=28 |issn=1073-6719}}</ref>


==Opposition and death==
==Post-presidency and death==
{{see|Death and state funeral of Abulfaz Elchibey}}
[[File:Elçibəy 2000-ci ildə Amerikanın Səsində.jpg|thumb|Elchibey (center right, background) on [[Voice of America]] in 2000.]]
[[File:Elçibəy 2000-ci ildə Amerikanın Səsində.jpg|thumb|Elchibey (center right, background) on [[Voice of America]] in 2000.]]
During Aliyev's presidency, Elchibey returned to Baku in 1997 and joined the opposition as the leader of [[Azerbaijani Popular Front Party]].
During Aliyev's presidency, Elchibey returned to Baku in 1997 and joined the opposition as the leader of [[Azerbaijani Popular Front Party]].
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[[Category:Baku State University alumni]]
[[Category:Baku State University alumni]]
[[Category:Azerbaijani nationalists]]
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[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Turkey]]
[[Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in Turkey]]
[[Category:Deaths from prostate cancer]]
[[Category:Anti-Iranian sentiments]]
[[Category:Anti-Iranian sentiments]]
[[Category:Soviet expatriates in Egypt]]

Latest revision as of 18:55, 27 November 2024

Abulfaz Elchibey
Əbülfəz Elçibəy
2nd President of Azerbaijan
In office
17 June 1992 – 24 June 1993
Prime MinisterRahim Huseynov
Ali Masimov (acting)
Panah Huseynov
Preceded byAyaz Mutallibov
Isa Gambar (acting)
Succeeded byHeydar Aliyev
Personal details
Born
Abulfaz Gadirgulu oghlu Aliyev

(1938-06-24)24 June 1938
Kalaki, Ordubad District, Nakhichivan ASSR, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR
Died22 August 2000(2000-08-22) (aged 62)
Ankara, Turkey
Political partyAzerbaijan Popular Front
SpouseHalima Aliyeva
Children2
Signature

Abulfaz Gadirgulu oghlu Aliyev (Azerbaijani: Əbülfəz Qədirqulu oğlu Əliyev; 24 June 1938 – 22 August 2000), better known as Abulfaz Elchibey (Azerbaijani: Əbülfəz Elçibəy),[1] was an Azerbaijani politician, Azerbaijani nationalist and Soviet dissident who was the first and only democratically elected President in post-Soviet Azerbaijan. He was the leader of the Azerbaijani Popular Front and played an important role in achieving Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union.

Elchibey was elected as the president of Azerbaijan in independent Azerbaijan's first free election. He served from 17 June 1992 until his overthrow in a 24 June 1993 military coup backed by Russia that led to the installation of Heydar Aliyev as president.[2][3] Elchibey's brief rule was the only post-Soviet period in which Azerbaijan has been democratic.[2] During his rule, Elchibey sought to dismantle the old communist system domestically, such as the planned economy and the black market.[2] In his foreign policy, he sought to re-orient Azerbaijan to the West.[2] However, Elchibey's attempted reforms were put to a halt by the 1993 coup.[2]

According to historian Audrey Altstadt, Elchibey faced several major problems during his tenure as president: "the war in Nagorno-Karabagh (with loss of land and creation of refugees), inflation and related economic problems (including slow progress on an oil deal with foreign investors), and the remnants of Russian-Soviet control and influence of the old order. The most immediately pressing problem was unrest around Baku."[2] During his tenure, Elchibey had to contend with an administration staffed by former Communists and military forces that were not under his control.[4]

He positioned himself as a pan-Turkist[5] while holding hostile views towards Iran and Russia.[6][7]

Biography

[edit]
Correctional colony No. 14 in Qaradağ raion, where he served his sentence.

Abulfaz Aliyev studied Arabic at the Baku State University and graduated in 1957 from the Department of Arab Philology of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. He worked as a translator and later as a lecturer of history at the Baku State University. From 1963 to 1964 he lived in Egypt, working as a translator.[8] He soon joined the Soviet dissident movement, supporting the re-establishment of Azerbaijani independence.[citation needed] He was arrested in 1975 on charges of defaming the Soviet Union and spent 18 months in prison.[9] Thereafter he worked at the Institute of Manuscripts of Azerbaijan and published over 50 scientific works on oriental philosophy, history, literature and religion.[citation needed]

He assumed the nickname of Elchibey (Azerbaijani for "noble messenger") upon his leadership of the Azerbaijani Popular Front in 1990.

Presidency

[edit]

Assumption of power

[edit]

Elchibey's rise to presidency came after the first round of heavy losses of Azerbaijan in the war against Armenia in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. After the Khojaly Massacre (26–27 February 1992), the fall of Shusha (8 May 1992) and Lachin (15–17 May 1992), the temporary Azerbaijani communist establishment led by Yaqub Mammadov could no longer hold power. Amidst disorder on the frontline, former Azerbaijani president Ayaz Mutalibov attempted a comeback two months after his resignation in a parliamentary coup on 14 May 1992, resulting in public outrage and the military overthrow of Mutalibov by the Azerbaijani Popular Front in Baku on 15 May 1992.

The national presidential election with 7 candidates was held on 7 June 1992 in which Elchibey was elected the President of Azerbaijan, gaining 54% of votes and becoming Azerbaijan's first democratically elected, non-communist president.

Domestic policies

[edit]

Military and security policy

[edit]

During the summer of 1992, Elchibey secured the full withdrawal of the Soviet 4th Army and other elements of the Transcaucasus Military District from Azerbaijan, which became the first former Soviet republic (after the Baltic states) free of Soviet military presence. At the same time, Elchibey's government established the national Azerbaijani Navy and managed to reach an agreement with Russia on receiving one-quarter of the Soviet Caspian Flotilla based in Baku. Upon his election, Elchibey appointed Isgandar Hamidov, a police colonel and the leader of the newly established Grey Wolves movement in Azerbaijan, as the Minister of Interior. Hamidov, despite his personal devotion and contributions in capturing Agdere district of Azerbaijan, proved to be generally incompetent and resigned in April 1993 after the fall of Kalbajar.[10]

Karabakh

[edit]

In June 1992, the Azerbaijani army started a counter-offensive codenamed Operation Goranboy in Nagorno-Karabakh, establishing control of over 40% of the region by the fall of 1992 and approaching within 7 kilometers of Shusha. However, as the Azerbaijani offensive pushed further into Karabakh, it became further bogged down in controversy, mismanagement, corruption and treachery by Elchibey-appointed Defense Minister Rahim Gaziyev, along with the guerilla tactics of the NKR Army in mountain warfare. This led to unexpectedly heavy Azeri casualties, loss of heavy military equipment, and the campaign ending in failure.[citation needed]

Foreign policy

[edit]

On 18 August 1992, Elchibey signed a decree on Azerbaijan's entry into the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.[11] On 7 and 8 September 1992, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visited Baku on an unofficial visit as a guest of Elchibey. During her visit, she oversaw the signing ceremony of an agreement between Azerbaijan, BP and Statoil on exploratory work at the Chirag oilfield. In this respect, one of Elchibey's goals in inviting Thatcher was to attract foreign entrepreneurs looking to do business in Azerbaijan. During a reception at the Gulustan Palace, he described Thatcher as being one who played a role in Azerbaijan achieving independence, saying that "she can see the fruits of the tree she planted".[12][13][14]

Turkey

[edit]

In 1992, during a visit to the Turkish capital of Ankara, Elchibey described himself as a soldier of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (founder and the first president of Turkish Republic).[15] He also held some pan-Turanian views, for which he enjoyed the support of the leader of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party, Colonel Alparslan Türkeş. In April 1993, he attended the funeral of President Turgut Özal in Istanbul, a person who shared his beliefs for a potential Turkic union from the former Soviet Union.[16]

Russia

[edit]

During his one-year rule, Azerbaijani–Russian relations were damaged, with his politics being described in this regard as "anti-Russian."[17] He was noted for using an interpreter when speaking to Russian figures, despite being fluent in the Russian language as he was educated in the USSR.[18] Often teasing the Russian leadership, he once declared that among the Russians who did the greatest services to democracy was Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev and in a congratulatory telegram sent in connection with the adoption of a new Tatar constitution, Elchibey wrote that "the heroic Tatar people" have contributed to the "awakening and revival of the Turkic world".[19] On 12 September 1992, he paid a visit to Moscow, during which he signed, along with Boris Yeltsin, the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Security between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.[20]

Iran

[edit]

Elchibey was described as being "vehemently anti-Iranian" in his policies, this being due in part to their perception of an Iranian–Armenian alliance.[21] Elchibey endorsed the unification of Azerbaijan with the region that is known as Iranian Azerbaijan, a stance which alienated the Iranian government. During a visit to Turkey, he called for the downfall of the Iranian Islamic Republic, which prompted a member of the Iranian parliament to threaten retaliation against the Republic of Azerbaijan.[22]

Other states

[edit]

Elchibey paid a visit to Ukraine on 12 November 1992,[23] during which he said that, from the former republics of the Soviet Union,[24] relations with Ukraine would be prioritized by Azerbaijan.

Downfall

[edit]
Main article: 1993 Azerbaijani coup d'état

On 9 June 1993, as rebellious troops were advancing onto Baku, President Elchibey invited Heydar Aliyev, former Soviet Politburo member and then head of Nakhchivan (and no relation to Elchibey, whose real surname was Aliyev), to Baku for negotiations with Surat Huseynov. Aliyev quickly took control of the power, becoming the Chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament on 15 June 1993 and offering the prime ministership of the country to Huseynov. Nine days later, in the vacuum of power left by Elchibey's departure to Nakhchivan, Aliyev constitutionally assumed presidential powers in his capacity as parliament speaker. He signed the Bishkek Protocol to cease hostilities on the frontline, and further solidified his power by organizing impeachment hearings and holding a national referendum on 29 August 1993, which formally stripped Elchibey of the presidency.

In another national election, on 3 October 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected as president of Azerbaijan with 99% of the votes.[25]

Post-presidency and death

[edit]
Further information: Death and state funeral of Abulfaz Elchibey
Elchibey (center right, background) on Voice of America in 2000.

During Aliyev's presidency, Elchibey returned to Baku in 1997 and joined the opposition as the leader of Azerbaijani Popular Front Party.

In 2000, Elchibey was diagnosed with prostate cancer and died in August of the same year in a military hospital in Ankara, Turkey. His body was flown to Baku and given the state funeral at the Alley of Honor with special attendance by then-President Heydar Aliyev.

The Elchibey Institute in Azerbaijan was created on 17 November 2020 in Baku with the aim to promote the national ideology and policies of Elchibey.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Abulfaz Elchibey – president of Azerbaijan". Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Altstadt, Audrey L. (1997), Parrott, Bruce; Dawisha, Karen (eds.), "Azerbaijan's struggle toward democracy", Conflict, Cleavage, and Change in Central Asia and the Caucasus, Democratization and Authoritarianism in Post-Communist Societies, Cambridge University Press, pp. 110–155, ISBN 978-0-521-59731-9
  3. ^ Cornell, Svante E. (2015). Azerbaijan Since Independence. Routledge. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-317-47620-7. The evidence that Surat Husyenov's coup was engineered in Moscow is as incontrovertible as it gets.
  4. ^ Ottaway, Marina (2003). Democracy Challenged: The Rise of Semi-Authoritarianism. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. pp. 56–57. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1mtz6c5. ISBN 978-0-87003-195-3. JSTOR j.ctt1mtz6c5.
  5. ^ Gasimov, Zaur (2022). "Observing Iran from Baku: Iranian Studies in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan". Iranian Studies. 55 (1): 52. doi:10.1080/00210862.2020.1865136. S2CID 233889871.
  6. ^ Waal, Thomas de (2013), "Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War", Black Garden, New York University Press, p. 87, doi:10.18574/nyu/9780814770825.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-8147-7082-5
  7. ^ Cohen, Ronen A.; Lev, Tzvi (2021). "A Triangle of Interests: Azerbaijan, Iran and Israel". Iran and the Caucasus. 25 (1): 84. doi:10.1163/1573384X-20210108. S2CID 236630765. Strongly anti-Iran, Elchibey supported a pro-Western foreign policy, called for Iran's Turkophone population to unify with Azerbaijan, and accused the Islamic Republic of fomenting a religious revival among his country's Shi'ites.
  8. ^ "Abulfaz Elchibey". 23 August 2000. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  9. ^ Cornell, Svante E. (2015). Azerbaijan Since Independence. Routledge. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-317-47620-7.
  10. ^ (in French) "Les liaisons dangereuses de la police turque", Le Monde diplomatique, March 1997
  11. ^ Чернявский, Станислав (2002). Новый путь Азербайджана (in Russian). Азер-Медиа. ISBN 9785212009164.
  12. ^ "Baroness Thatcher in Baku". Visions of Azerbaijan Magazine.
  13. ^ "Thatcher in Baku: How BP broke into Azerbaijan". platformlondon.org. 13 September 2012.
  14. ^ "Pipe Dreams – The Struggle for Caspian Oil". The Washington Post.
  15. ^ "Абульфаз Эльчибей: 82 года борцу за свободу Азербайджана". www.aa.com.tr. 24 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Thousands turn out for funeral of Turkish President Ozal".
  17. ^ Cornell, Svante (1 December 2000). Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203988879. Retrieved 29 September 2016 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ Дмитрий ФУРМАН, Али АБАСОВ. "Азербайджанская революция". Sakharov-cente. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011.
  19. ^ Д. Фурман. Возвращение в третий мир. Грустная история про азербайджанскую демократию (рус.) // Свободная мысль. — 1993. — № 11. — С. 25.
  20. ^ "Подписан двусторонний договор". Газета «Коммерсантъ». 13 October 1992.
  21. ^ Cornell, Svante (1 December 2000). Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203988879. Retrieved 28 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  22. ^ Alaolmolki, Nozar. Life After the Soviet Union. published in 2001 page 50.
  23. ^ "Визит Абульфаза Эльчибея в Киев". www.kommersant.ru. 11 December 1992.
  24. ^ "Эльчибей поехал в Киев". www.kommersant.ru. 10 December 1992.
  25. ^ International Foundation on Election Systems (April 1994). "Elections Today". Elections Today. 4 (Number 2-3): 28. ISSN 1073-6719.
Political offices
Preceded by President of Azerbaijan
16 June 1992 – 1 September 1993 		Succeeded by
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