Rza Khalil oglu Valibeyov was born in 1903 in Akarak village, Echmiadzin uezd of the Iravan governorate. The inhabitants of this village fought with the Armenian Dashnaks in 1918 and were forced to retreat to the mountains.
After 1920, the social climate began to change. After the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia, R.Valibeyov studied in short-term political courses. In 1922, he worked as an instructor in the Armenian Komsomol Committee, and then in the Iravan City Committee of the Armenian Communist Party.
At a very early age, Rza Valibayov was entrusted with responsible positions. At the end of 1922, at the age of 19, he was promoted to the position of chairman of the Executive Committee of the Vedi District Council. In 1924, he was sent to study at the Transcaucasian Communist University and graduated from University in 1928.
As time passed, more important tasks were assigned to R.Valibeyov. He worked as the first secretary of the Basarkechar District Committee of the Armenian Communist Party, and the editor of the “Gızıl Shafaq” newspaper, an organ of the Central Committee of the Armenian Communist Party.
R.Valibeyov chaired the Turkic (Azerbaijani) section of the Society of Proletarian Writers of Armenia in the thirties.
R.Valibeyov was sent to study again to improve his education, studied at the Red Professors Economic Institute in Moscow in 1931–1933, and after graduating, worked as the head of the political department at the Vedi Machine-Tractor Station, then the first secretary of the Vedi District Party Committee, and from 1937, he worked as the deputy chairman of the Soviet of People’s Commissars of the Armenian SSR.
In 1939–1941, he was a student at the Institute of Planned Economy of the Industrial Academy in Moscow. After graduating from the institute, R.Valibeyov worked as the deputy director of the Armenian Office of the former USSR State Bank, then he became the director.
From 1944 to 1947, he served as the deputy trade representative of the USSR in Turkey.
After his return to Armenia, R.Valibeyov worked actively and effectively in the field of media and public education, and became the editor of the “Soviet Armenia” newspaper.
This selfless person who has had a great life and always works in high positions proved himself wherever he worked with his great ability, diligence and hard work.
R.Valibeyov worked as the Deputy Minister of Education of the Armenian SSR in 1949–1962, and as a consultant in the Council of Ministers of the Armenian SSR from 1962 until the end of his life.
All activities of R.Valibeyov were related to the land of his birth. He was repeatedly elected a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia and was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR for the fourth term. R.Valibeyov was one of the first deputies elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR among Western Azerbaijanis.
R.Valibeyov was awarded with many orders and medals, including two “Red Banner of Labor” orders, “Badge of Honor” order, honorary decrees of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR.
In 1960–1974, R.Valibeyov worked as a teacher at the Iravan State Pedagogical Institute and taught the subject of political economy. R.Valibeyov, a well-known statesman and educationist, journalist, pedagogue, was also engaged in artistic creativity. He is the author of the book “From the Past Days”. Here he talked about his comrades-in arms.
R.Valibeyov died in 1974 at the age of 71. He is the only Azerbaijani buried in the Honorary Pantheon in Iravan.
Source:
Əsgər Zeynalov, İrəvan ziyalıları (Bakı: Oğuz eli, 1999)
