Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that his country was a colony within both the Russian Empire and the USSR. He made these remarks at the Shusha Global Media Forum.
According to Aliyev, Azerbaijan lacked independence during the Soviet era. He described the republic's status as disenfranchised, noting that Azerbaijanis understand what it means to be a colony.
The president added that vast quantities of oil were extracted from Azerbaijan during the Soviet years. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country was left with a power shortage. He also noted that Azerbaijan is still working to remediate the environmental damage caused by oil extraction.
Aliyev recalled that after 1991, many predicted the collapse of the former republics. He asserted that these predictions did not materialize and that Azerbaijan has become a strong state during its years of independence.
Responding to a question about Ukraine, he reiterated Azerbaijan's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity. He stated that Ukraine should not agree to occupation.
It should be noted that this is not the first time Aliyev has made such an assessment. He has previously said that joining the USSR prevented Azerbaijan from becoming a democratic country.
Interestingly, Azerbaijan was led for many years during the Soviet era by his father, Heydar Aliyev. He served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party and later held high-ranking positions within the USSR.
