Elchibey's heritage

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- You have founded the Elchibey Institute. Where did this idea come from and who is its author? Who are the founders of the Institute?

- After the death of President Elchibey, various ideas were expressed; forums and conferences were held to study his legacy. However, despite the work done, there was a need for a more optimal format so that these events become systematic, objectively convey the personality and heritage of Elchibey to the Azerbaijani society. The growing interest in the society in recent years in the personality and activities of Elchibey intensified this need. On the initiative and with the participation of many members of the Organizing Committee, created by a wide range of social and political forces in connection with the 80th anniversary of Elchibey in 2018, discussions of the planned format have become intense.

Discussions lasted until mid-2020, and the general opinion was that this structure would be created in the format of an Institute. However, the pandemic, the Tovuz events and the 44-day Patriotic War delayed the establishment of the Institute. As you know, the establishment of the Elchibey Institute was announced on November 17, 2020. It is wrong to associate this idea with one we received many opinions from various people. From this point of view, the establishment of the Institution is a result of these ideas. Eight people who initiated the creation of the institute - Isa Gambar, Panah Huseyn, Ali Karimli, Arif Hajili, Ismail Musayev, Giyas Sadigov, Arzu Samadbeyli and I, are members of the Advisory Board of the Elchibey Institute. Although it has been difficult to get together since the Institute was established due to the pandemic, we have had discussions with a large number of people who want to participate in the work of the institute, and we are trying to coordinate its future activities.

- What will be the purpose, place and role of the Institute? Is it a political organization or a think tank?

- The answer to this question is in the first sentence of the Charter of the Elchibey Institute. The  purpose of the Institute is to collect, restore, preserve and defend, research, promote and develop the scientific, theoretical and ideological heritage of the leader of the National Liberation and Democratic Movement of Azerbaijan, democratically elected in 1992 by President A. Elchibey; which is gaining more and more importance and political relevance.

That is, the goals and objectives of the institute are clear: study, collection, research, propaganda, protection of Elchibey's heritage, etc. We can talk about the place and role of a structure in society only after its activity for a certain period. That is, its place and role will depend on the assessment by society of the results of its work. Elchibey Institute is not a political organization. This is the unequivocal position of the members of the Advisory Board. The Institute can also be considered as a research center, which is to study the heritage of Elchibey in all its aspects.

- Why Elchibey Institute? In other words, did you choose this name because only this name could unite the people - the founders of the institute, or will the political and ideological views of Abulfaz Elchibey be used mainly in the activities of the institute?

- This name was chosen not to unite people with different political positions. This name is for the structure, whose main activity is the study and collection of ideas and heritage of Elchibey. Elchibey's political and ideological views will become the basis of the Institute's activities. This is the position of the people united in this structure.

- “But experience shows that the leaders named among the founders of the institute got together several times in other political organizations, but these alliances did not result in  successful cooperation. Do you think that the fate of this Institution will not repeat the fate of these political alliances? How can you insure the Institute against such a fate?

- Most of the previously created formats did not achieve the desired results due to different goals and objectives. The goal of the Elchibey Institute is different from the goals of the previous structures. From this point of view, we can say that the fate of the Elchibey Institute will be different. I believe that our work will be successful because our goals and objectives are clear. In order not to repeat the fate of the organizations you mentioned, it is enough to do your job and not go beyond the direction we have announced.

- The announcement of the Institute did not generate much excitement compared to the announcement of previous political alliances. Judging by the reaction, there are those who position the structure as a "Club of Pensioners". How will an institution prove to society otherwise, and how can it influence society?

- When establishing the Elchibey Institute, we did not pursue the goal of creating a stir; we wanted to engage in the activities we declared. Attitudes and expectations in society, including assessments, may vary. It is important for us to do what we intended to do - to collect the heritage of Elchibey and present it to the public in a systemic form. We intend to cooperate with individuals and organizations interested in the heritage of Elchibey and its collection. There is a lot of work to be done. Studying Elchibey's activities in all directions, collecting and organizing materials requires a lot of effort and energy. If we implement our plans, then we can easily predict what will be the assessment of society, how it will assess the result.