Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev was born on December 24, 1961, in Baku. In 1982, he graduated from Moscow State University of International Relations (MSUIR) and continued his education as a postgraduate student in MSUIR. In 1985, he received a PhD degree in History. In 1994-2003, he was the First Vice-President of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). In 1995 and 2000, he was twice elected to the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In August 4, 2003, following the approval of the Milli Majlis (Parliament), he was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In 2003, 2008, 2013 he was elected the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mr. Aliyev is fluent in Azerbaijani, English, Russian, French, and Turkish. Mr. Aliyev is married with three children and three grandchildren. He is an author of numerous research works on geopolitical aspects of oil strategy of Azerbaijan.