Heydar Aliyev

Heydar Aliyev was born on May 10, 1923, Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union and died December 12, 2003, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was a Soviet KGB officer (1941–1969), First Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan (1969–1982), First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union (1982–1987), President of Azerbaijan (1993–2003).

Early Life and Soviet Career

Family and Education: Born to a railway worker’s family in Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave in Armenia, Aliyev graduated from Baku State University (History degree) and the Industrial Institute of Azerbaijan. His family had roots in Comardlı (modern-day Tanahat, Armenia) before moving to Nakhchivan.

His KGB Service (1941–1969):

At age 18, Aliyev joined Soviet state security service, rising to a high-ranking official in the KGB of the Azerbaijan SSR. He served for 28 years, leveraging his skills in intelligence and political maneuvering. His KGB tenure shaped his authoritarian style and network-building.

As First Secretary of Azerbaijan (1969–1982) he was head of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Aliyev governed Soviet Azerbaijan, consolidating power through patronage and suppressing dissent. His close ties to Soviet leaders Leonid Brezhnev and Yuri Andropov (former KGB head) facilitated his positions within the USSR hierarchy. He modernized Azerbaijan’s economy but was criticized for corruption and repression.

First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union (1982–1987): Aliyev joined the Soviet Politburo under Brezhnev, serving as a key deputy to Premier Nikolai Tikhonov. In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev dismissed him, citing corruption and criticism of Gorbachev’s handling of Azerbaijani unrest in Baku. Aliyev was blacklisted, forcing his son Ilham Aliyev into the clothing business in Moscow.

Return to Azerbaijan and Presidency (1993–2003):

Post-Soviet Return: After his dismissal, Aliyev returned to Nakhchivan, becoming a local political figure. In 1993, he seized power in Azerbaijan following a military coup that ousted President Abulfaz Elchibey.

Presidential Tenure: Installed as president in October 1993, Aliyev won an election with nearly 99% of the vote, ending Azerbaijan’s brief democratic experiment. His regime was described as dictatorial, with rigged elections, repressed dissent, and a cult of personality. Key achievements included: Caspian Oil Deals: Aliyev secured the “Contract of the Century” (1994), giving Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR a 20% share in a consortium with BP, Aramco, and others, boosting the economy.

Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: He managed the ongoing war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, signing a 1994 ceasefire but failing to resolve the dispute.

Foreign Relations: Aliyev cultivated ties with the West (e.g., BP, U.S.), Russia (via agreements with Yeltsin and Putin), and Turkey, balancing geopolitical interests.

Succession: In 2003, facing health issues, Aliyev withdrew his candidacy and appointed his son Ilham Aliyev as the New Azerbaijan Party’s candidate. Ilham won an election on October 15, 2003, and Aliyev died on December 12, 2003, at the Cleveland Clinic. He was buried at the Alley of Honor in Baku.

The 1993 Coup and Aliyev’s Rise

Context: Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, entering a turbulent period marked by the Nagorno-Karabakh War with Armenia and internal political instability. Abulfaz Elchibey, a nationalist and Soviet dissident, was elected president in 1992 in Azerbaijan’s first free election, advocating pan-Turkism and anti-Russian policies. The western powers had their eyes on the Baku oil fields so being a nationalist was not allowed.

Coup Details (June–October 1993):

Trigger: Elchibey’s government faced military setbacks in Nagorno-Karabakh, losing territory to Armenian forces. In June 1993, a military rebellion led by Colonel Surat Huseynov, a warlord and former ally, erupted in Ganja. Huseynov’s forces marched on Baku, exploiting public discontent with Elchibey’s leadership.

Aliyev’s Role: Aliyev, then a Nakhchivan political figure, capitalized on the chaos. He was invited to Baku as a mediator but quickly aligned with Huseynov. Elchibey fled to Nakhchivan on June 24, 1993, effectively ceding power. Aliyev was appointed acting president by parliament, consolidating control by October. Aliyev was supported by the western powers.

Outcome: Aliyev won a presidential election in October 1993 with 98.8% of the vote, widely criticized as fraudulent. He purged Elchibey’s allies, arrested opposition leaders, and established an authoritarian regime. Huseynov was briefly made prime minister but later arrested for plotting another coup.

1995 Coup Attempt:

Details: On March 17, 1995, a second coup attempt, known as the “Turkish coup in Baku,” was led by Colonel Rovshan Javadov of the Special Purpose Police Unit (OPON). The goal was to overthrow Aliyev and reinstate Elchibey.

Turkish Involvement: Turkish President Süleyman Demirel warned Aliyev of the plot after Turkish intelligence (MİT) uncovered support from Turkish elements, including Korkut Eken (MİT), İbrahim Şahin, Ayhan Çarkın (Turkish Police), and Abdullah Çatlı (a contract killer tied to the Grey Wolves). A team from Turkey trained 60 OPON officers for the coup in December 1994.

Outcome: Azerbaijani forces surrounded Javadov’s camp, killing him and quashing the coup. The 1996 Susurluk scandal in Turkey revealed further details, implicating Turkish officials like Tansu Çiller and Ayvaz Gökdemir in supporting Elchibey, an ally of Alparslan Türkeş (MHP leader). This caused a diplomatic rift between Turkey and Azerbaijan. One theory from a Susurluk Commission member suggested the coup's purpose was to secure the narcotics route from Afghanistan. Later press reports linked the Ergenekon gang (of which General Veli Küçük is a suspected member) to the coup attempt.

Implicated in the coup:

Ayvaz Gökdemir, a Turkish minister.

Meral Akşener, a Turkish politician active in the 1990s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

CIA Involvement:

1993 Coup: Aliyev’s KGB background and ties to Brezhnev and Andropov suggest he had intelligence connections, potentially making him a U.S. asset post-Cold War. His pro-Western shift, evidenced by the 1994 oil deal with BP and U.S. firms, aligns with CIA interests in securing Caspian oil against Russian influence.

Elchibey’s Nationalism: Elchibey’s pan-Turkist, anti-Russian stance clashed with U.S. goals in the region for oil pipelines. The CIA’s history of coups (e.g., 1953 Iran) raises speculation that it supported Aliyev’s takeover to replace Elchibey with a controllable leader.

According to journalist Greg Palast, a former BP executive claimed that the CIA, MI6, and British Petroleum engineered the 1993 coup to overthrow President Abulfaz Elchibey, who was "not favorable to BP's demand for control of the Caspian oil." This report states that the spy agencies "armed and empowered" Heydar Aliyev, who then overthrew the elected government in 1993. Robert Ebel, former chief of oil analysis for the CIA, estimated that at least $140 million in payments by BP for Azeri oil went unaccounted for.

1995 Coup Attempt: Confirmed Turkish intelligence (MİT) and Grey Wolves involvement which is an element of NATO's secret armies. Turkish officials (Çiller, Gökdemir, Eken) backed Elchibey, a Türkeş ally, to counter Aliyev’s pro-Western tilt.

Turkish Intelligence and Karah Mehmet Ali:

Karah Mehmet Ali’s Role: In Operation Gladio, Karah Mehmet Ali facilitated heroin smuggling in Italy (1980) for the Turkish Mafia, using police cars (web:1). His activities, uncovered by Judge Carlo Palermo, align with Operation Gladio’s use of Turkish Mafia/Grey Wolves for drug trafficking to fund anti-communist operations (web:1, web:2–4).

Relevance to 1993/1995 Coups: The Turkish Mafia’s heroin trade, including operatives like Karah Mehmet Ali, supplied morphine base to Sicilian mafias, potentially funding Operation Gladio activities (The Politics of Heroin, p. 66). The 1995 coup’s Grey Wolves connection suggests a shared network, as the Grey Wolves were CIA assets in Operation Gladio.

Abdullah Çatlı, his role in the 1995 coup attempt connects to Turkish intelligence and the Grey Wolves.

Aftermath:

Azerbaijan and Georgia Cooperation with CIA Secret-Detention Program: A 2013 report "Globalizing Torture" claimed that Azerbaijan was an important stopover point for the CIA's secret detention program, with aircraft linked to the CIA landing in Azerbaijan 76 times between late 2001 and late 2005. Baku was reportedly used as a "staging point" for extraordinary rendition operations. Azerbaijani officials allegedly detained and handed over a Saudi man to the CIA in 2002.