Doing Business in Azerbaijan 2009 - Azerbaijan Export ...

where a major clash with joint Bolshevik; Armenian Dashnak forces
took place. A period of mass repression of the Azerbaijani
intelligentsia, elite and national leaders from 1920 to 1930 followed
the defeat of the 1st independent Azerbaijani Democratic Republic.
Thus until 1990, the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic (AzSSR)
was an integral part of the USSR as one of the “founding” republics
of the Union and a major industrial and cultural centre of the
Empire. The collapse of the Soviet bloc brought independence
along with a serious economic and political crisis.
The consequences of the disintegration of the Soviet Union were
complicated by the ongoing aggression by the Republic of Armenia.
Armenian nationalists backed by the late Soviet administration
launched a separatist movement in Western Azerbaijan (Nagorno-
Karabakh). A long lasting and bloody military conflict started in
1988. The conflict was further complicated by civil confrontation
within Azerbaijan. A few political groups were competing for power
in the country. A succession of weak, largely incapable
governments ended in 1993 when veteran politician and popular
leader Heydar Aliyev was elected President. A decade of
rehabilitation and growth started.
In 1994 major oil & gas contracts with the consortia of oil giants
such as BP, Amoco, Total and others were concluded. From circa
1997 onwards, major political reforms aimed at bringing Azerbaijan
to international standards in the areas of the rule of law,
democracy, human rights and freedoms started as well.
The era of Heydar Aliyev ended in December 2003 with the
decease of the national leader. However, the policy decisions taken
by him, including integration into European common space,
democratization, the creation of a liberal market economy and
COUNTRY INFORMATION
Under the leadership of
Heydar Aliyev, the
government re-
established peace and
stability in the country,
reinforced state
infrastructure and civil
rule throughout the
country, and launched a
proactive foreign policy
campaign aimed at the
political integration of
Azerbaijan
internationally.
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