Elmar Maharram oglu Mammadyarov (, ; born July 2, 1960) is an Azerbaijani diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan between 7 April 2004 and 16 July 2020.

Early life

Mammadyarov was born in Baku, then part of the Azerbaijan SSR, on July 2, 1960. His father, Maharram Mammadyarov, was born in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. He studied at the School of International Relations and International Law of the Kyiv State University in 1977-1982. He continued his education at the Diplomatic Academy of the MFA of USSR in 1988-1991 and obtained a PhD in History. In 1989-1990, Mammadyarov was appointed as exchange scholar at the Center for Foreign Policy Development of the Brown University.

Political career

Mammadyarov started his diplomatic career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Azerbaijani SSR in 1982. He served there as second and first secretary until 1988. During 1991 and 1992, he was the Director of the State Protocol Division. From 1992 to 1995, Mammadyarov worked in the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the United Nations in New York. Upon completion of his duties he returned to Baku and from 1995 to 1998 he was the deputy director of the Department of International Organizations in the Ministry. From 1998 to 2003, he served as counselor at the Embassy of Azerbaijan to the United States. In 2003, Mammadyarov was appointed as Ambassador to Italy.

As foreign minister

On 2 April 2004, he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. During his tenure as foreign minister, Mammadyarov was involved in multiple political activities. Under his position, Azerbaijan took over Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers from Austria for six months in 2014. On June 23, he presented communication to PACE. In his overview, he stressed on combating corruption and manipulation of sports competitions. Elmar Mammadyarov is also chairperson of the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO.

Dismissal

He was dismissed in July 2020 after President Aliyev criticized his absence in office during the conflict. Armenian–Azerbaijani skirmishes. On 16 July, Aliyev conducted an online meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, where he criticized the Foreign Ministry for being unable to find Mammadyarov in the early stages of the crisis. Stating that while "the Prime Minister is at work, I am at work until the morning, the Minister of Defense, the Chief of General Staff, as well as the Chief of the State Security Service, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Secretary of the Security Council are at work until the early hours of the morning", Aliyev asked about the Foreign Minister's whereabouts, to which Prime Minister Ali Asadov replied that Mammadyarov was "working from home". Mammadyarov was dismissed from his position a few hours later. Jeyhun Bayramov was appointed as his successor.

Personal life

His mother, Izida Ibrahimbeyova, is the daughter of Fuad Ibrahimbeyov. His father, Maharram Mammadyarov, is a doctor of chemical sciences, a full member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Elmar Mammadyarov is married to Kamilla Mammadyarov, they have children named Emin and Riad. His son Riad Mammadyarov married a US citizen in 2019 while studying at New York University. Another son, Emin Mammadyarov, also lives in the United States. Mammadyarov speaks Russian, English, Azerbaijani, and Turkish.

Awards