BAKU. – The Nakhichevan clan has begun blackmailing Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev. Specifically, the clan’s ringleaders Ramiz Mehdiyev, Head of the Office of the President, and Kamaladdin Heydarov, the Minister of Emergency Situations, now attempt to bring into the political arena Rasul Guliyev, former speaker of the country’s parliament, Azadliq newspaper of Azerbaijan writes, referring to its reliable sources inside the government.   

“The objective is not at all creating an alternative to Ilham Aliyev. In reality, if replacing Ilham Aliyev, the Nakhichevan clan would give the preference to either Mehdiyev, or Heydarov. But if their names were to be considered in the list of likely presidential candidates, they would face serious problems. In fact, this is why they began blackmailing Ilham Aliyev by way of Rasul Guliyev,” Azadliq writes.       

To remind, the Nakhichevan clan had presented an ultimatum to President Aliyev, demanding that he nominate for the country’s presidential elections in 2013.