The flexible and intelligent politician managed to ensure the country’s stable entry into the top three world leaders in terms of GDP growth, its election to the UN Security Council with the support of 155 states, and also refuted the idea that the position was “inherited”, allegedly not having real political talent.
Childhood and adolescence
The future head of state was born on December 24, 1961 in Baku. His father, Heydar Alievich, at that time the head of the republican counterintelligence of the KGB, and his mother, Zarifa Aziz kyzy, an ophthalmologist, were then 38 years old. He became the second, relatively late child in a family where the 6-year-old daughter Seville was already growing up. 
He studied at school No. 6, showing little zeal in studying the exact sciences and giving preference to the humanities. According to the recollections of teachers, despite the high position of his father, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic, he was no different from his peers. He often fought, but never complained about his offenders at home.
IN early childhood the boy dreamed of becoming a general, as a teenager he was fond of sports - he played volleyball, football, swam, and also loved to dress well and tell jokes, especially about Brezhnev. In 1974 he became the winner international tournament in swimming, held in the GDR.
After graduating from school in 1977, the young man did not hide behind his father’s authority and pursue a career in the KGB or along the party line, but managed to enter the most famous and prestigious institute in the country - MGIMO. And he not only successfully graduated from it in 1982, but remained in graduate school and then taught there for several years.
Career Development
With the change in the political situation in the USSR, his father was forced to resign in 1987. My son had to leave teaching at his alma mater. He went into commerce and in 1991 became director of the Orient company. A year later, he moved to Istanbul, since his main business was connected with this city and state. 
In general, little is known about the life of the future president in the first half of the 90s. In 1993, Heydar Alievich came to power again, and his heir returned from abroad.
Since 1995, at the suggestion of the “yellow press,” the young businessman gained a reputation as a gambler who allegedly lost huge sums of money in casinos. There was a scandal with Turkish businessman Omar Topala: supposedly Aliyev Jr. lost so much in his casino that his father had to give the building of the Baku Hotel Europe to the Turk.
From 1994 to 2003, Ilham Aliyev was the deputy head of the State oil company"SOCAR" was engaged in the implementation of advanced projects in the field of development of deposits of this natural resource. The most ambitious of them was the agreement with Western partners, which later received the name “Contract of the Century”. Its signing ensured a significant influx of investment into the oil industry of the republic and played an invaluable role in improving the country's economy as a whole.
In 1995 and 2000, he was elected to parliament - the Milli Majlis, where he initiated the development of traditional sports for the country and the construction of sports facilities. In 1997, he headed the National Olympic Committee, and his work in this direction was awarded the IOC Order.
In 1999, he was elected deputy leader of the pro-presidential political force “ New Azerbaijan" In 2001-2003, he led the parliamentary delegation to one of the main bodies of the Council of Europe - PACE. Subsequently, Aliyev was elected deputy chairman of PACE.
In 2003, he became prime minister and, along with his father, nominated himself for the presidency, having previously taken leave from his new position. Then Heydar Alievich, who was undergoing treatment at that time, refused to participate in the elections in favor of his son.
Presidency of Ilham Aliyev
In the elections held in the fall of 2003 and accompanied by protests that resulted in loss of life, the politician won. In 2 years, he managed to organize the replacement of the old “ruling clan” and achieve political stability. 
In 2005, information appeared about an attempt to change power in the country by force. The coup was prevented, twelve high-ranking officials, politicians, including the leader of the Democratic Party Rasul Guliyev, the head of the Ministry of Economy Farhad Aliyev and his brother Rafik, the head of the large enterprise Azpetrol, were arrested.
In 2008, the successor to his father's political line again won the elections. According to international statistics per capita income then in Azerbaijan reached more than 3.8 thousand dollars.
Interview with Ilham Aliyev
In 2009, a referendum was organized, as a result of which an amendment was made to the legislation of the republic - from now on one person could occupy the presidency for more than 2 terms. The opposition called this event the transformation of a republic into a monarchy.
According to official data for 2010, more than 800 thousand new jobs appeared in Azerbaijan, and the poverty level of the population decreased by 34 percent. However, this happened mainly due to social benefits. Economic growth occurred due to increased sales of energy resources.
In the 2013 elections, the current head of the republic again received the support of the majority of voters and was re-elected for a third term.
On the world stage, the country's leader demonstrated a thoughtful and calibrated policy. In 2005, he signed a non-aggression agreement with Iran. In 2010 - about state border with the Russian Federation (with agreements beneficial for Baku). In 2016, an attempt was made to change the situation regarding Karabakh.
Personal life of Ilham Aliyev
In 1983, the politician’s wife was Mehriban Pashayeva, a representative of one of the most influential families in Azerbaijan, the granddaughter of the scientist and writer Mir Jalal Pashayev, the daughter of the head of the National Aviation Academy, Arifa Muallim, and the head of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Aida Imanguliyeva. 
The young people met in student years in Moscow, where she studied at the Medical Institute. I. Sechenov. In 1985, their daughter Leila was born, in 1989 - youngest daughter Arzu, in 1997 - son Heydar, named, of course, in honor of his grandfather.
From 2006 to 2015, the eldest daughter was married to an entrepreneur and singer. Ilham Aliyev's son is predicted to have a presidential future.
In addition to his native language, Ilham Heydarovich speaks English, Russian, French and Turkish.
Ilham Aliyev now
In 2017, Ilham Aliyev appointed his wife Mehriban as First Vice-President of the country, calling her “a professional and a humanist” at a presentation at the Security Council. According to Baku, ordinary people respect and love her very much.On the eve of the summit Eastern Partnership EU, which was scheduled for November 24, Azerbaijan did not sign its final declaration due to disagreement with the wording regarding the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. At a ceremonial meeting dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the New Azerbaijan Party, Aliyev said that the country would restore its territorial integrity at any cost.
Ilham Aliyev about Karabakh
The next presidential elections in Azerbaijan will take place in 2018. According to the results of the referendum held in 2016, the term of the next president will no longer be 5, but 7 years. The country also lowered the age limit for presidential candidates from 35 to 18 years. According to opposition representatives, in this way Aliyev’s 28-year-old son will be able to take the presidency in 2025, after the expiration of Ilham Aliyev’s fourth term.
On February 21, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree based on the updated Constitution of the country. The country is introducing new position first vice president. The wife of the head of state, Mehriban Aliyeva, was appointed to this post on Tuesday. TUT.BY collected Interesting Facts from the life of the first lady of Azerbaijan.
Girl from a good family
Mehriban Aliyeva, nee Pashayeva, was born on August 26, 1964. The Pashayev family is called one of the most influential clans in Azerbaijan. Its representatives occupy high positions in government and the academic community. For example, Arif Pashayev, the father of the first lady of Azerbaijan, is the rector of the National Aviation Academy. Her uncle Hafiz Pashayev is Azerbaijan's deputy foreign minister and director of the Diplomatic Academy, and before that was the country's first ambassador to the United States for more than 13 years.
Other notable Pashayevs are the sister of the first lady Nargiz Pashayeva, who heads the Moscow branch state university in Azerbaijan.
Mehriban's mother, Aida Imanguliyeva, was an Arabist and worked as director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the country's Academy of Sciences.
According to Wikileaks, the Pashayev family is also involved in business: within the structure of the Pasha Holding conglomerate there is a bank, Insurance Company, a travel agency, a local television company Lider TV, car dealerships, and a cosmetics company. The interests of the Pashayev family holding also include construction and real estate.
Excellent student, doctor and candidate of philosophical sciences
The future first lady graduated from school in Baku with a gold medal. She entered the Azerbaijan Medical Institute, and eventually graduated from the Sechenov Moscow Medical University - also with honors. It was during her studies that she started a family.
Before her public activities, Aliyeva managed to work for 4 years at the Moscow Research Institute of Eye Diseases. She is considered a specialist in the field of ophthalmology, but in 2005 she received academic degree candidate of philosophical sciences, having defended a dissertation on a complex topic - “Euthanasia and the problem of humanity in medicine.”
Wife, mother, grandmother
Mehriban Pashayeva married the future President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the age of 19. The couple have three children: Leila, 32, Arzu, 30, and son Heydar, 20, and three grandchildren: Leila’s 8-year-old twin sons and Arzu’s 6-year-old son.
But the first lady of Azerbaijan’s main priority is her husband. The couple got married more than 30 years ago, but even official photographs show that the couple are still close.
Which one is the first lady?
Mehriban Aliyeva is 52 years old, but journalists and politicians are still confused when trying to distinguish the first lady of Azerbaijan from her daughters. In September 2008, at a meeting of the Aliyev family with the wife of former US Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the Secret Service agents asked: “Which one is the mother?” We got out of the awkward situation using logic, suggesting that the mother of the family most likely stands in the center.
Mehriban Aliyeva with her daughters Leyla and Arzu. Photo: mehriban-aliyeva.az 
Which one is Mehriban Aliyeva? Here we are already confused. Photo: mehriban-aliyeva.az Romances with presidents
Evil tongues claim that Mehriban Aliyeva’s appearance is not a natural gift, but the talent of plastic surgeons.
Rumor also repeatedly attributed her to having affairs with many politicians. For example, with a famous ladies' man, former president France Nicolas Sarkozy - the reason for rumors was the awarding of the First Lady of Azerbaijan with the Order of the Legion of Honor in 2011.
And in the summer of 2010, information appeared in the Italian media about Aliyeva’s romantic meetings with the President of Belarus in Berlin - her protocol service later expressed its indignation at the publication of the newspaper Il Foglio.
Alexander Lukashenko with youngest son visiting the Aliyevs. Photo: press service of the President of Azerbaijan Muslim
Mehriban Aliyeva is a Muslim, she professes Shiite Islam. In 2015, she, along with her husband and her family, performed Umrah - the minor Hajj in Mecca, the main shrine of the Islamic world. IN wearing special pilgrim attire, the Aliyevs arrived at the Al-Haram mosque, after which They performed tawaf around the Kaaba and prayer in the mosque, and then entered the Kaaba.
Nevertheless, the wife of the President of Azerbaijan continues to be reproached for her behavior and clothing style that is inappropriate for a Muslim woman.
Aliyev presented the Order of Aliyev to Aliyev
The First Lady of Azerbaijan has a number of awards and titles: she was awarded the honorary title of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and the “Gold Medal” of this organization, was awarded the Grand Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Poland, is the winner of the international “Golden Heart” award, and so on. In 2005, according to the results of a sociological survey conducted in Azerbaijan, the president’s wife was awarded the title “Woman of the Year.”
But most of all, Mehriban Aliyeva was awarded the Heydar Aliyev Order. The order “for fruitful activities in the socio-political and cultural life of Azerbaijan” was presented to her by Ilham Aliyev.
House of cards
The nomination of Mehriban Aliyeva for the post of first vice president is very reminiscent of the plot of the television series “House of Cards” (it plays out the situation when the wife of an American president decided to run for the post of vice president of the United States. - Note TUT.BY).
In fact, the first lady of Azerbaijan has long and systematically built her political career. Before her appointment as vice president, Aliyev’s wife headed the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijan Culture Foundation. In 2005, 2010 and 2015, she won elections to the country's parliament from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (New Azerbaijan). Since 2004, she has been a member of the Political Council of the party, and since 2013 - deputy chairman of the party, a post held by Ilham Aliyev himself.
In addition, Mehriban Aliyeva is an experienced sports functionary. She was elected president of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, a member of the executive committee of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan, and also the chairman of the national committee for holding the First European Games in Baku in 2015.
The wife of the President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva...
For her compatriots, she is the standard of beauty and style. The first lady herself is sure that the harmonious and pleasing outer shell is to some extent a gift of fate. But sooner or later a person acquires that appearance that becomes his maximum reflection. Therefore, in the matter of success and beauty, it is the internal content that plays a decisive role. -
Spouse of the President
Aliyev's wife, Mehriban, is an Azerbaijani public and political figure. She is a deputy of the country's Milli Majlis. In addition, Mehriban leads the working group of Azerbaijani-American inter-parliamentary relations, is the president of the Gymnastics Federation and the Goodwill Ambassador of the UN, UNESCO, ISESCO and OIC. For ten years now she has been the president of the Foundation, founded in honor of her father-in-law Heydar Aliyev, as well as the state Foundation for Friends of Culture.
Parents
Nee Pashayeva, Mehriban Aliyeva was born in Baku on August 26, 1964 into a family of scientists. Her mother, Aida, who died in 1992, was the daughter of a well-known journalist in the country, Nasir Imankuliev. She became an outstanding philologist, Arabist, and doctor of oriental studies. Since childhood, Mehriban Aliyeva has been proud of her mother, who was the first woman in Azerbaijan to be awarded the title of professor. Father - Arif Pashayev - was the son of the literary critic and writer Mir Jalal Pashayev. Today he is the rector of the National Aviation Academy in Baku.
As Mehriban Aliyeva herself says, in her youth her mother was amazing beautiful woman. She had that rare appearance in which bright individuality was combined with canonical beauty. As soon as she appeared somewhere, the glances of all those present involuntarily turned in her direction. It was she, according to her daughter, who managed to form in her an inflated sense of responsibility.Loving parents never lectured Mehriban. It was simply obvious that she could not study poorly, be dishonest or look bad.
Mehriban Aliyeva, biography
The wife of the President of Azerbaijan graduated from Baku secondary school No. 23 with a gold medal. In the same 1982, she entered the Azerbaijan Medical University. Then the future doctor continues his training at the I.M. Sechenov Academy in Moscow. In 1988, Mehriban Aliyeva received a diploma with honors and became a doctor. In 1983 she marries Ilham.
Career
After graduating from university, the future first lady of Azerbaijan goes to work at the Moscow Research Institute of Eye Diseases, where she works until 1992. In 1995, Mehriban Aliyeva became the founder and leader charitable foundation called “Friends of Azerbaijani Culture”. A year later, she founded a cultural and historical magazine. In 2002, the first lady of Azerbaijan held the post of President of the Gymnastics Federation. It was she who initiated, making considerable efforts to ensure that in 2005 the World Championship in this sport was held in her homeland. Two years later, she heads the Foundation named after Heydar Aliyev, her father-in-law. The press always widely covers the work of this organization, which oversees the issues of reviving the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan. Hospitals and schools, youth and community centers are built with funds from the Foundation. In the same year, she joined the New Azerbaijan party.
Awards and titles
In 2005, Mehriban Aliyeva was awarded the title “Woman of the Year”. She became the first female cavalier in the world to wear the Order of the Ruby Cross on her chest. The wife of the President of Azerbaijan received this award from the Patrons of the Century International Foundation. In the same year, she was elected as a deputy of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis. However, as Mehriban Aliyeva herself says, most of all she values her Golden Heart award, which she received seven years ago. In 2008, it was on the initiative of the wife of the President of Azerbaijan famous singer Muslim Magomayev was laid to rest in the Alley of Honorary Burials in Baku. She was also awarded an interstate prize in the “Stars of the Commonwealth” nomination. Mehriban Aliyeva holds the rank of officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor and is an honorary professor at the I.M. Sechenov Medical University. And in 2011, according to Playboy, she was named the sexiest among the first ladies.
Family of Mehriban Aliyeva
On December 22, 1983, Mehriban married Ilham Aliyev, who is three years older than her. They have three children: two daughters and a son, Heydar. Eldest daughter Leila - wife of Samed Kurbanov - Russian entrepreneur, MGIMO graduate. They have two twin boys. According to Mehriban, who gave birth to Leila at the age of nineteen, the most important part of her life is her children. Everything that may concern their problems and worries, successes and achievements is near and dear to her.
Mehriban Khanum and fashion The First Lady of Azerbaijan closely follows fashion trends, but at the same time has its own inimitable unique style. At first glance, it is difficult to believe that this lady is fifty years old, and yet she is not only a mother, but also a grandmother. At her age, Mehriban Aliyeva still has a chic appearance, and fashion for her is nothing more than just an exciting process.
For most of her compatriots, Mehriban is a role model. And although some say that her appearance is the fruit of the work of more than a dozen of the most famous surgeons from Western clinics, and her entire style is the merit of stylists, but if she had not had the appropriate appearance initially, not a single Plastic surgery would not give such a result. As for the choice of clothes, the first lady practically makes no mistakes, wearing only what suits her. She especially loves black tones. Mehriban Aliyeva, who is taller than average, has a special passion for the highest heels, although in some cases this contradicts the canons of etiquette. And the generally accepted skirt length established for official events (up to five centimeters above the knee) is not always observed. This leads to the fact that some representatives Muslim countries they do not always approve of Mehriban’s glamorous and sexy style, believing that it is not appropriate for a true Muslim to dress this way.
Official Mehriban
The wife of the President of Azerbaijan, having the figure of a model and the appearance of a movie star, always knows how to remain in the shadow of her husband during protocol events, official meetings and trips. Impeccable demeanor: muted intonations, dull gaze - all this is done in order to attract less attention to oneself. It must be said that Mehriban does not always succeed in this. After all, the first lady’s impeccable appearance has long been a subject to be emulated. They say that in Baku hairdressers, many ladies ask to have their hair done in the “a la Mehriban” style.
Not only people from the president’s circle have to reckon with her. Ordinary citizens always have the opportunity to contact her directly with requests and complaints. For this purpose, a special sector has been created in the Presidential Administration, which works with appeals and letters to the First Lady; however, Mehriban does not have a bloated bureaucratic apparatus: she has only twenty employees in both the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Presidential Office. But there are a huge number of volunteers and like-minded people across the country among various segments of the population. Representatives of the business community, scientific and creative elite of Azerbaijan dream of being involved in the projects implemented by the Foundation.
Wife of Ilham Aliyev. Since February 2017 - Vice President of Azerbaijan.
Biography
In 1982, M. Aliyeva graduated with a gold medal high school No. 23 of the city of Baku and entered the medical and preventive faculty of the Azerbaijan State Medical Institute named after N. Narimanov. She continued her studies at the 1st Moscow State Medical Institute named after M. Sechenov, which she graduated with honors in 1988.
From 1988 to 1992 she worked at the Moscow Research Institute of Eye Diseases.
Since 1995, Mehriban Aliyeva has served as president of the Friends of Azerbaijan Culture Foundation, created on her initiative.
In 1996, Mehriban Aliyeva founded the magazine “Azerbaijan – Irs” dedicated to Azerbaijani culture.
In 2002, M. Aliyeva was elected president of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation.
Since 2004, Mehriban Aliyeva has headed the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
Since 2004, he has been a member of the Political Council of the New Azerbaijan Party.
In 2005 she received the academic degree of Candidate of Philosophical Sciences.
On November 6, 2005, in the elections to the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva, whose candidacy was nominated by the New Azerbaijan Party in the second Azizbeyov constituency number 14, was elected as a deputy with 92.12% (23 thousand) of the votes.
On November 7, 2010, she was re-elected as a deputy in the same second Azizbekov constituency No. 14.
M. Aliyeva headed the organizing committee for the Eurovision 2012 contest.
On June 7, 2013, at the congress of the New Azerbaijan Party, she was elected deputy chairman of the party.
On June 21, 2013, information was disseminated that on June 15, the World of Democratic Azerbaijan (PMDA) party nominated Mehriban Aliyeva as a candidate for the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. On June 24, 2013, the chairman of the PMDA, Fatma Aliyeva, stated that the nomination of the president’s wife was “the work of provocateurs expelled from the party.”
M. Aliyeva headed the organizing committee for the first European olympic games in Baku in the summer of 2015.
On February 21, 2017, by order of Ilham Aliyev, his wife Mehriban Aliyeva was appointed first vice-president of Azerbaijan.
Family
Mehriban Aliyeva has two daughters (Leyla (born 1986) and Arzu (born 1987)), a son (Heydar (born 1997)) and three grandchildren.
Leyla Aliyeva - Chief Editor glossy magazine "Baku", head of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Moscow. Married to musician Emin Agalarov, vice president of the Crocus Group company.
Sisters Leyla and Arzu Aliyev control the large gold mining company AIMROC, which owns 70% of the gold mine reserves near the Azerbaijani village of Chovdar. Also in the possession of I. Aliyev’s daughters are controlling interest one of the largest Azerbaijani enterprises "ATA Holdings" and large shares in the companies "Azerfon" and "SW Holdings".
Mehriban Aliyeva’s young son, Heydar, became the owner of 9 luxurious mansions in Dubai in 2011. The mansions were purchased for approximately $44 million. Daughters Leyla and Arzu also have property in Dubai registered in their name. The total value of real estate owned by the Aliyev children, as of 2010, was estimated at $75 million.
The Pashayev clan, from which M. Aliyeva comes, is called one of the most influential families of Azerbaijan: its representatives occupy high positions in the government and academic community, and are also associated with big business in the non-energy sector of the Azerbaijani economy (construction, real estate, communications, finance). The clan controls the large commercial association "Pasha Holding", which includes the bank "Pasha Bank", the insurance company "Pasha Insurance", construction company"Pasha Construction" and travel company "Pasha Travel". The family also owns the local television company "Lider TV" and the production of cosmetics "Nargiz".
In addition, the Pashayev clan controls the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.
The main influence of the Pashayev family is concentrated in Baku and the Absheron Peninsula (eastern Azerbaijan).
M. Aliyeva’s father is the rector of the National Aviation Academy of Azerbaijan Arif Pashayev.
Uncle of M. Aliyeva - former ambassador Azerbaijan in the USA, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Head of the Diplomatic Academy Hafiz Pashayev.
M. Aliyeva’s sister, Nargiz Pashayeva, heads the Baku branch of Moscow State University.
Awards and titles
Mehriban Aliyeva has honorary title Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan. She was awarded the WHO Prize, the Heydar Aliyev Prize, the Grand Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, the officer degree of the Legion of Honor, and the UNESCO Gold Medal. Has the title of honorary professor of the First Moscow State University medical university named after I.M. Sechenov.
Sources:
- “Mehriban means sweet, affectionate, welcoming, friendly” - website “1NEWS.az”, August 26, 2009.
- Machalek K. Corruptistan // Foreign Policy. - 4 September. - 2012.
- "Aliyev's Azerbaijani Empire Grows, As Daughter Joins The Game" - RFE/RL, August 13, 2010.
- "US embassy cables: Who owns what in Azerbaijan" - Guardian website, December 12, 2010.
- Official website of Mehriban Aliyeva.
She is called the most influential woman Transcaucasia, and this position only formalizes her position in the country's leadership system. Why did Baku decide to take this step right now? Probably, the Azerbaijani government is preparing for some important changes in the external and domestic policy. understood the reasons for the new appointment of the wife of the president of the republic.
Rector family
The appointment of Mehriban Aliyeva to the post of first vice president caused a flurry of ironic comments online in the spirit of “the master appointed me as his beloved wife.” This step by Ilham Aliyev began to be interpreted as a manifestation of traditional nepotism: they say, it is a common thing in a country where the current head of state “inherited” the post of his father. However, the new position of the wife of the President of Azerbaijan de jure secured her actual status in the system of the republic’s elite: Mehriban Aliyeva already belongs by birth to an influential family - the Pashayev clan.
The grandfather of the president's wife, a classic of Azerbaijani literature, professor of philology and order bearer Mir Jalal, was born at the beginning of the 20th century in Iran. Mehriban's father is Arif Pashayev, rector of the National Aviation Academy, in Soviet Azerbaijan for a long time headed the laboratory of the Republican Institute of Physics. The first lady's uncle, Hafiz Pashayev, is the country's deputy foreign minister and rector of the Diplomatic Academy. In accordance with the traditions of the family, he belonged to the intellectual elite of the USSR: he graduated from the physics department in Baku, graduated from graduate school, interned at the University of California, and was ambassador to Washington from 1993 to 2006. Nargiz Pashayeva - sister of Mehriban - philologist, heads the Baku branch, member of the Union of Writers of the Republic, co-chairman of the Anglo-Azerbaijani Charitable Society, head of the Nizami Scientific Center at Oxford University, founder of a private theater.
The Pashayev family is distinguished by its success primarily in the academic field, but also controls key areas of business in the republic. According to WikiLeaks, the Pashayevs manage the Pasha Holding, which includes the bank of the same name, construction firm and an insurance company. According to American diplomats, the clan owns a television channel and a cosmetics company; The family's business interests also include mobile operator Nar Mobile (in the republic they believe that the company received its name in honor of Nargiz Pashayeva).
How Aliyev came to power
To understand what the alliance of the Aliyev and Pashayev clans gave Azerbaijan, we will have to look at the main milestones modern history republics. It must be said that the father of the current president of the republic, Ilham Aliyev, Heydar Aliyev, sat in the leadership chair thanks to his undoubted political talent, and not because of his belonging to a particular clan. And by that time the Pashayevs had already established themselves among the Baku intelligentsia.
Traditionally, strong positions in the political and cultural life of Azerbaijan are occupied by people from the Absheron Peninsula (where Baku is located). The oldest nationalist party "Musavat" (now oppositional), the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic and the senior staff of the local Cheka-NKVD-KGB, the writers' union were largely staffed by natives of the cities of Baku and Cuba. Members of this compatriotic clan, although they spoke and still speak the Azerbaijani language, remember their Iranian ancestors well. The Pashayev family also occupied a high position among the Baku intelligentsia: a street in the capital of Azerbaijan was named after the already mentioned Mir Jalal Pashayev.
However, in the late 1960s and early 1970s political life the republic has undergone changes. In 1969, the plenum Central Committee Communist Party Azerbaijan SSR approved Heydar Aliyev, a native of Nakhichevan, as first secretary. In Soviet and then independent Azerbaijan, the era of the Nakhichevan clan began. In 1988, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Heydar Aliyev became... a pensioner of union importance. The republic is entering the crisis of the 90s, the war in Nagorno-Karabakh and civil confrontation within Azerbaijan begin. Representatives come to power Popular Front Azerbaijan (PFA), which began as a project of the Baku intelligentsia. However, there were also people from Nakhichevan in the Popular Front. After Ayaz Mutalibov, who, as his political opponents claim, had poor command of the Azerbaijani language, Nakhichevan Abulfaz Elchibey, an exemplary nationalist, takes the post of head of state.
In 1993, Heydar Aliyev again became the head of the republic and ended the unsuccessful war for Azerbaijan in Karabakh. Next year, the “Contract of the Century” is signed in Baku - an agreement between Azerbaijan and global oil companies on the development of the Azeri, Chirag, and Gunashli fields. The republic’s prosperity begins to increase through the sale of hydrocarbons; the production and sale of oil is controlled by those close to the president of the country.
According to Artur Atayev, a political scientist, orientalist, and specialist on the Caucasus in the Double-Headed Eagle society, Heydar Aliyev, as an experienced politician, formed his team and entourage taking into account his goals and the connections already established in the republic. The leader of Azerbaijan did not forget his fellow countrymen, but also entered into alliances with those who had a certain influence. “Therefore, I would not talk about a separate Nakhichevan clan. Heydar Aliyev was rather a representative of the Soviet party-economic nomenklatura, its very successful representative. And the Pashayevs traditionally occupied their niche, which they would have occupied under any other ruler; this is their place by right,” the expert emphasizes.
First Lady - second person
The connections of the Pashayev family allow them to engage in lobbying activities abroad. Mehriban Aliyeva, world leaders provide Special attention not only as the first lady of the country, but also as an independent political player. Naturally, this gave rise to speculation about hidden rivalry between two influential families: does the wife of the head of state want to take this post herself? In 2013, the World of Democratic Azerbaijan party proposed nominating Mehriban Aliyeva as a presidential candidate. This issue was quickly hushed up, there was a showdown within the party with accusations and organizational conclusions, but the trial balloon was launched - the idea began to be discussed. The oppositionists explained that in this way the authorities were testing the waters: are the elites and citizens of the republic ready for a female head of state.
New post Aliyeva was also regarded as a consequence of the alleged weakening of Ramiz Mehdiyev’s apparatus positions. Eminence grise Azerbaijani politics, permanent head of the administration of Presidents Heydar and Ilham Aliyev since the 90s (once former second Secretary of the Nakhichevan Regional Committee of the Komsomol) for a long time bore the unofficial title of the second person in the state. Be that as it may, the public received an unambiguous signal: Mehriban Aliyeva’s unofficial high status received official confirmation. Why was this done?
The most influential woman in Transcaucasia
Artur Ataev evaluates new status first lady as consolidating the current political status of Ilham Aliyev. " Existing system was built by Heydar Aliyev. And despite the fact that numerous attempts have been made to change it or influence it - both from the outside and from the inside - it has remained unchanged. And the attempts were quite serious: there are many influential people from the republic outside Azerbaijan, who have their own views on the future of the country. It can be summarized that Ilham Aliyev successfully claims to be the leader of the nation, his influence is not limited to the borders of Azerbaijan, and Mehriban has always been an active promoter of this policy. The marriage of Ilham and Mehriban was not just a unification of two families, a union of cosmopolitan intellectuals and professional politicians, it gave Azerbaijan a qualitatively different elite, which has strong positions both inside and outside the country,” the political scientist is sure.
According to Artur Atayev, Mehriban Aliyeva can now be considered the most influential woman in Transcaucasia. “Georgia is completely dependent on Azerbaijan and Turkey, on the policies of these countries. Yerevan, which opposes Baku, is also forced to take into account changes in Azerbaijan’s course,” explains the expert.
Obviously, the new appointment of the first lady indicates that Baku is preparing for changes in the internal and foreign policy. It may well be that this is a signal to all players in the region. As American diplomats dryly noted in the dispatch published, “it’s worth talking to the Pashayevs.” Did the most experienced Heydar Aliyev, when blessing his son to marry Mehriban Pashayeva in 1983, foresee that his daughter-in-law would become the second person in the state? Considering that the former deputy chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers knew how to calculate political moves decades in advance, it is quite possible.