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Mehriban Aliyeva

Mehriban Arif gizi Aliyeva (née Pashayeva; Azerbaijani: Mehriban Arif qızı Əliyeva Paşayeva, IPA: [mehɾiˈbɑn ɑˈɾif ɡɯˈzɯ æˈlijevɑ pɑˈʃɑjevɑ]; born 26 August 1964) is an Azerbaijani politician and physician who is the vice president and First Lady of Azerbaijan.

Mehriban Aliyeva
Mehriban Əliyeva
Aliyeva in 2024
Vice President of Azerbaijan
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 February 2017
PresidentIlham Aliyev
Preceded byPosition established
First Lady of Azerbaijan
Current
Assumed role
31 October 2003
PresidentIlham Aliyev
Preceded byHalima Aliyeva (1993)
Deputy Leader of the New Azerbaijan Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 June 2013
LeaderIlham Aliyev
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born
Mehriban Arif qızı Paşayeva

(1964-08-26) 26 August 1964 (age 60)
Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
Political partyNew Azerbaijan Party
Spouse
​
(m. 1983)​
ChildrenLeyla
Arzu
Heydar
Alma materAzerbaijan Medical University
Signature
Websitemehriban-aliyeva.az/en

She is married to Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan. Aliyev created the position of vice president in 2017 and appointed his wife to the position.

Early life, family and marriage

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Mehriban Pashayeva was born in Baku, and is from a family described in leaked US Embassy cables as "the single most powerful family in Azerbaijan." Her grandfather was the writer Mir Jalal Pashayev, an Iranian Azerbaijani born in Iran. Her uncle Hafiz Pashayev was Azerbaijan's first Ambassador to the United States. Her father, Arif Pashayev, is Rector of the National Aviation Academy in Baku,[1] and her mother, Aida Imanguliyeva (1939–1992) was a philologist and Arabist, daughter of the journalist and pedagogue Nasir Imanguliyev.[2][3]

Education and early career

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Aliyeva finished secondary school number 23 in 1982.[3] She entered the Preventive-Treatment Faculty of the Azerbaijan Medical University, in which she excelled,[4] and later continued her studies at the Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy, from which she graduated in 1988.[2][3][5] From 1988–92, Mehriban Aliyeva worked at the State Research Institute of Eye Diseases of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow, which was led by Dr. Mikhail Krasnov.[2][6] Aliyeva got her PhD after defending a thesis on "Euthanasia and humanism issues in medicine" in 2005.[3] Two articles in The Times in 2005 described her as a "qualified physician"[4] and "former eye doctor."[5]

Career

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Mehriban Aliyeva during her visit to France.

In 1995, she established the Azerbaijani Culture Friends Foundation.[2][7] In 1996, she founded the magazine "Azerbaijan - Heritage" published in three languages (Azerbaijani, English and Russian) in order to promote Azerbaijani culture.[8]

Leaked documents reveal that in 2003 she registered an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands, Rosamund International Ltd.[9]

Aliyeva established on 10 May 2004[3] the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which focuses on studying and holding events to promote Heydar Aliyev's political ideology. In Azerbaijan, according to a recent news article, "The HAF builds more schools than Azerbaijan's Ministry of Education, more hospitals than the Ministry of Health, and conducts more cultural events than the Ministry of Culture."[10] The Heydar Aliyev Foundation also sponsors projects outside Azerbaijan, including helping to finance renovations at the Louvre Museum, Palace of Versailles, and Strasbourg Cathedral.[10][11][12]

She is UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador,[3][13] and Goodwill Ambassador of ISESCO.[14] She was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan at the 4th General Assembly of the NOC on 28 December 2004.[3][15]

Since 2004, she is a member of the Political Board of the New Azerbaijan Party, which her husband is the leader of. She was selected as the deputy chairperson of the Party in June 2013.[3][15] She was appointed by her husband as the chairperson of the Organizing Committee for the 1st European Games in Baku.[3]

Member of Parliament

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In Azerbaijan's fraudulent 2005 parliamentary elections, she was elected to the National Assembly of Azerbaijan. Her candidacy was run by the New Azerbaijan Party from the Azizbeyov Second Constituency №14, and she was elected to the Parliament with 92.12% of the votes.[3] She had previously broken with tradition to help campaign for her husband in 2003, when he ran for President of Azerbaijan.[16] The Sunday Times, writing in 2005 about Aliyeva's decision to run for the Azerbaijani parliament, described her as already wielding "considerable influence," and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation as "a powerful and wealthy institution set up to safeguard the late president’s legacy and support a number of educational and charitable projects."[5] She was nominated from Khazar Constituency №14 in 2010 and 2015 parliamentary elections and gained 94.49% of the votes in 2010, 96.7% in 2015.[3]

During her MP period, Mehriban Aliyeva appealed to Milli Majlis for the adoption of amnesty acts on 28 May – Republic Day. As a result, in 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2016, more than 30,000 prisoners were released from different sentences.[17]

Vice president

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Mehriban Aliyeva during the meeting of the Azerbaijan Security Council in 2017
 
Mehriban Aliyeva in the Azerbaijani parliament during the presidential inauguration in 2018
 
Mehriban Aliyeva meets with First Lady of Turkey Emine Erdoğan in 2020

On 21 February 2017, she was appointed First Vice President of Azerbaijan by her husband Ilham Aliyev, the president and authoritarian leader of Azerbaijan.[18][19][20][21] If her husband would step down, she would become President of Azerbaijan.[18] This was an office that was created through a constitutional referendum in 2016 which Ilham Aliyev had ordered.[19] The referendum also lowered the age requirement for president, making it possible for Aliyev's son, Heydar Aliyev Jr., then 19 years old, to become president.[18] Critics said these changes were intended to consolidate the family's dynastic rule.[18]

Criticism

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Freedom House reports that Heydar Aliyev Foundation headed by Aliyeva since its creation in 2014, while supporting cultural projects domestically and abroad, has been focusing on "burnishing the regime’s international image and advancing Baku’s official position on the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh". It has also been criticized as a vehicle for corruption. It has been proven that the Aliyeva family has profited immensely from the foundation. [22]

Political repression

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Aliyeva has claimed that Azerbaijan is a land of political tolerance and denied claims of mass political imprisonment. When asked about the plight of imprisoned journalist Khadija Ismayilova and human rights advocate Leyla Yunus, Mehriban did not respond.[23] Her appointment as vice president coincided with the detention of more opposition party activists, which may have been an attempt to stifle any attempts to protest the move.[24][25] In Azerbaijan, power is concentrated in the hands of Aliyev and his extended family, and human rights violations include torture,[26][27] arbitrary arrests, as well as harassment of journalists and non-governmental organizations.[28]

Personal life

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Aliyeva with her husband and daughter Leyla in Davos, 2019

She married Ilham Aliyev, the son of Heydar Aliyev, in Baku on 22 December 1983.[2] The Aliyevs have two daughters, Leyla (born 3 July 1984) and Arzu (born 23 January 1989) and a son Heydar (born 2 August 1997). Leyla is the editor of Baku magazine, published by Azerbaijani Russian businessman Aras Agalarov, and was married to his son Emin Agalarov.[29]

Aliyeva has undergone extensive plastic surgery.[30] During a Baku visit, US officials claimed to be unable to immediately distinguish Aliyeva from her two daughters Arzu and Leyla thanks to the extensive operations.[30]

 
At the opening of Baku Book Center
 
Aliyeva and her husband with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Baku in 2024

Awards and honours

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National honours and medals

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Foreign honours

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International organizations

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Honorary degrees

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References

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  1. ^ "US embassy cables: Who owns what in Azerbaijan". The Guardian. London. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Azerbaijan's first lady Mehriban Aliyeva celebrating her birthday today (August 28, 2008)". Today.az. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Mehriban Aliyeva - Biography". www.mehriban-aliyeva.az. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  4. ^ a b Mattin, David (8 November 2008). "The Face". The Times. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  5. ^ a b c Franchetti, Mark (6 November 2005). "First lady of oil is power in the land". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 3 July 2011.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Obituary of Mikhail Krasnov (PPT)". Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  7. ^ "Friends' Foundation Continues to Stimulate Azerbaijani Arts". Azerbaijan International. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  8. ^ "Who is Mehriban Aliyeva? A look at Azerbaijan's First Lady and Vice President". euronews. 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  9. ^ Candea, Stefan (2013-04-04). "Offshore Companies Link Corporate Mogul, Azerbaijan's President". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  10. ^ a b Abbasov, Shahin. "Azerbaijan: Foundation Finances Renovations at Versailles, Strasbourg". Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  11. ^ Zamejc, Anna (17 February 2010). "Azerbaijani First Lady Given Prestigious French Award". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  12. ^ Abbasov, Shahin. "Azerbaijan: Ex-Guggenheim Director Betting on Bilbao-Style Project for Baku". Eurasianet.org. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  13. ^ Mehriban Aliyeva designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Oral and Musical Traditions. Unesco.org. 13 August 2004. Retrieved 18 September 2006.
  14. ^ "Official web-site of President of Azerbaijan Republic - PRESIDENT » First Lady". en.president.az.
  15. ^ a b c "Heydar Aliyev Foundation - President of foundation". heydar-aliyev-foundation.org. Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  16. ^ "CNN World View broadcasts report about Azerbaijan's first lady". Today.Az. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  17. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva: To forgive people means to give them new path in life | Laopdr News Gazette". www.laopdrnewsgazette.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  18. ^ a b c d "Azerbaijan's president has chosen a new VP — his wife". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  19. ^ a b Alba Prifti (2017-02-24). "Azerbaijan's president creates a VP position - and appoints his wife". CNN. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  20. ^ Tamkin, Emily (21 February 2017). "Azerbaijan's President Makes His Wife Second in Command". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  21. ^ "Why Azerbaijan's Dynasty-Building Is a Bad Sign for Europe". Freedom House. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  22. ^ "Why Azerbaijan's Dynasty-Building is a Bad Sign for Europe".
  23. ^ "No, this is the truth about Azerbaijan's repression". Washington Post. Washington DC. September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  24. ^ Amanda Erickson (February 22, 2017). "Azerbaijan's president has chosen a new VP — his wife". Washington Post. Washington DC. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  25. ^ Altstadt, Audrey L. (2017). Frustrated Democracy in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-80141-6.
  26. ^ Gogia, Giorgi (25 July 2018). "Torture is 'Systemic and Endemic' in Azerbaijan". hrw.org. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  27. ^ Shaun Walker (22 March 2012), "Azerbaijan warms up for Eurovision by torturing musicians", The Independent, archived from the original on 14 June 2012, retrieved 5 August 2012
  28. ^ Vincent, Rebecca (19 May 2013). "When the music dies: Azerbaijan one year after Eurovision". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 June 2013. Over the past several years, Azerbaijan has become increasingly authoritarian, as the authorities have used tactics such as harassment, intimidation, blackmail, attack and imprisonment to silence the regime's critics, whether journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders, political activists, or ordinary people taking to the streets in protest.
  29. ^ "The World's Billionaires: #962 Aras Agalarov". Forbes. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  30. ^ a b Walker, Luke (12 December 2010). "WikiLeaks cable sticks the knife into Azerbaijan's first lady".
  31. ^ "President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva receives "Caspian Energy Integration Award-2005"". Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  32. ^ "Mehriban Əliyeva - Azərbaycanın birinci xanımı - Awards Site - The First Lady of Azerbaijan". www.mehriban-aliyeva.az. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  33. ^ "President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva is conferred on the Heydar Aliyev Order". Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  34. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva was presented the'Person of 2005' award".
  35. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva was announced "Woman of Year"".
  36. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva is presented "The Person of 2015" Award".
  37. ^ President. "Official web-site of President of Azerbaijan Republic - First Lady". en.president.az. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  38. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva elected honorary member of Union of Architects | Vestnik Kavkaza". vestnikkavkaza.net. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  39. ^ "President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva awarded Uzeyir Hajibayli honorary medal". azertag.az. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  40. ^ "Mehriban Əliyeva - Azərbaycanın birinci xanımı - Awards Site - The First Lady of Azerbaijan". www.mehriban-aliyeva.az. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  41. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva, the first Lady of Azerbaijan and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador was received into the national order of the legion of honor of the French Republic - UNESCO Celebrity Advocates | UNESCO.org". portal.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  42. ^ "Poland's Grand Commander's Cross of Order of Merit awarded to Mehriban Aliyeva". Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  43. ^ "Mehriban Əliyeva - Azərbaycanın birinci xanımı - Awards Site - The First Lady of Azerbaijan". www.mehriban-aliyeva.az. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  44. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva was awarded with Order of Ruby Cross". Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  45. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva receives the Ihsan Dogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize and the Golden Heart International Prize - UNESCO Celebrity Advocates | UNESCO.org". portal.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  46. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva receives Order for Services to Astrakhan Oblast | Vestnik Kavkaza". vestnikkavkaza.net. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  47. ^ "Mehriban Əliyeva - Azərbaycanın birinci xanımı - Awards Site - The First Lady of Azerbaijan". www.mehriban-aliyeva.az. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  48. ^ "Mehriban Əliyeva - Azərbaycanın birinci xanımı - Awards Site - The First Lady of Azerbaijan". www.mehriban-aliyeva.az. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  49. ^ "Mehriban Əliyeva - Azərbaycanın birinci xanımı - Awards Site - The First Lady of Azerbaijan". www.mehriban-aliyeva.az. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  50. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva pays a visit to ELPIDA Friendship Association of Children Suffering from Cancer in Athens". Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  51. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva receives Commander's Cross of Order of Merit of Hungarian Republic | Vestnik Kavkaza". vestnikkavkaza.net. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  52. ^ a b "Caspian Energy - Bulgaria and Azerbaijan currently enjoy strategic partnership relations – Mehriban Aliyeva". Caspian Energy. Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  53. ^ a b "Mehriban Aliyeva is presented diplomas of honorary citizen and honorary doctor in the city of Veliko Tyrnovo". Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  54. ^ "Le patriarche Cyrille a remis au premier vice-président de l'Azerbaïdjan de l'ordre de Sainte-Olga – Ciel FM". www.cielfm.be (in French). Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  55. ^ "Патриарх Кирилл наградил Мехрибан Алиеву орденом святой равноапостольной княгини Ольги II степени". vestikavkaza.ru (in Russian). 26 December 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  56. ^ informatici, Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica - Servizio sistemi. "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". www.quirinale.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  57. ^ "Ilham Aliyev and Mehriban Aliyev awarded Italian Order of Merit | Vestnik Kavkaza". vestnikkavkaza.net. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  58. ^ "Vladimir Putin awards Order of Friendship to Mehriban Aliyeva | Vestnik Kavkaza". vestnikkavkaza.net. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  59. ^ "First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva awarded Russian Order of Friendship". azertag.az. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  60. ^ "First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva awarded highest Papal Order of Knighthood in Vatican". Official web-site of President of Azerbaijan Republic. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  61. ^ "Mehriban ALIYEVA". UNESCO. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  62. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva receives the Ihsan Dogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize and the Golden Heart International Prize - UNESCO Celebrity Advocates | UNESCO.org". portal.unesco.org. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  63. ^ "Irina Bokova inaugurates the 2nd Gabala International Music Festival in Azerbaijan". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  64. ^ "FIRST LADY OF AZERBAIJAN AWARDED EOC ORDER OF MERIT » #TeamIreland – Olympics". www.olympics.ie. Archived from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  65. ^ "Mehriban Aliyeva was presented the "Honorary Professor of the I.M.Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University" Diploma and a badge". Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  66. ^ "Azerbaijan's first lady Mehriban Aliyeva named honorary doctor of Israel Medical Academy". 7 September 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
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Honorary titles
Preceded by First Lady of Azerbaijan
2003–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
New title Vice President of Azerbaijan
2017–present 		Incumbent
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