The daughter of Rasul Guliyev, former Speaker of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan, who currently lives in exile in America, Khanim Guliyeva, has arrived in Baku after 30 years. She first visited the Alley of Honor and the Alley of Martyrs in Baku.
"I am very happy. It is very proud to discover our Baku after 30 years, to get acquainted with the construction and landscaping works carried out, and to see our capital modern and developed," said Khanim Guliyeva.
It should be recalled that Rasul Guliyev, who led the Azerbaijani parliaments in 1993–1996, resigned from the post of Speaker of the Milli Majlis on September 11, 1996, and moved to the USA with his family. He has not returned to Azerbaijan since that date.
According to some claims, Rasul Guliyev himself may also return to the homeland following his daughter. It is of interest whether Rasul Guliyev has appealed to the relevant state institutions regarding this.
Modern.az contacted Agasif Shakiroglu, Chairman of the Future Azerbaijan Party, who is close to the ex-speaker, regarding this.
The party chairman stated in his statement to our website that neither he nor Rasul Guliyev has applied anywhere regarding this:
"Rasul Guliyev is a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan. There is no problem with him coming to Azerbaijan. Simply, there has been no initiative from Rasul Guliyev or myself regarding his return. The reason for this is related to Rasul Guliyev's age. Traveling by plane for 18-19 hours is extremely difficult for elderly people like him. There has been no initiative regarding Rasul Guliyev's return to the homeland, and the probability of such an initiative is equal to 0. Rasul Guliyev and I, as the party chairman, have not made and will not make such an appeal."
A. Shakiroglu noted that the free arrival of Rasul Guliyev's family members in the country is an indicator of a democratic environment:
"The arrival of Rasul Guliyev's family members in their homeland, their acquaintance with the extensive construction works carried out in Azerbaijan, meeting with their relatives, visiting the graves of their deceased relatives, and being with their relatives in good times and bad are their natural, constitutional rights. Furthermore, this visit is also a clear indicator of healthy government-opposition relations in the country. This very comfort and freedom also indicate that a democratic environment exists in the country. At the same time, this event is also a clear example of the healthy dialogue that has continued for more than 5 years between the government and the opposition. I have expressed my gratitude to the President and the First Vice-President for the democratic environment in the country and for acting as guarantors of every Azerbaijani's life in Azerbaijan."
