BAKU (Baku Today/Regnum.ru)–Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev said he is ready to govern the Republic of Azerbaijan. "The election campaign has started and I am participating. If Heydar Aliyev cannot run–I’ll be the sole candidate from "Yeni Azerbaijan," he said.
As for Heydar Aliyev’s health–Ilham Aliyev stated that "his health is getting better . . . He received preliminary medical treatment in Turkey–and then he was transported to America. In Cleveland–he has reacted positively to the treatment . . . My father has heart problems . . . and then he was diagnosed with kidney problems… However–neither his heart nor kidneys need surgery. His health is getting better each day."
Meanwhile–the Russian news service Regnum.ru reported that the Azeri president’s health is rapidly deteriorating–and that he will soon be discharged from the Cleveland hospital and transferred to a hospice as a terminal case.