President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is celebrating his 54th birthday today.
Ilham Heydar Aliyev was born in Baku on December 24, 1961. He attended a secondary school in Baku from 1967 till 1977. In 1977, he entered the Moscow State University of International Relations (MSUIR). In 1982, upon his graduation, Ilham Aliyev had continued his education as a postgraduate student in MSUIR.
In 1985, he finalized his research works and received a PhD degree in history. During the years of 1985-1990, he gave lectures at the Moscow State University of International Relations. In 1994-2003, he was the vise-president, and later the first vise-president of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR).
In 1995 and 2000, he was twice elected to the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani Parliament) of the Republic of Azerbaijan. From 2001 to 2003, he was the head of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary delegation to Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE). In January 2003, he was elected as Deputy-Chairman of Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe and member of the PACE bureau. In 2003, he stopped his activity as a Member of Parliament due to his appointment to the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In October 15, 2003, he was elected as the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He assumed his post on 31 October, 2003. Ilham Aliyev again was elected as President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, after acquiring 88% of votes of electorate in the elections, held on October 15, 2008.
He was reelected as the Azerbaijani president on October 9, 2013.
Since 1997, Ilham Aliyev is the President of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan. For his great contribution to the development of sports and Olympic movement, Mr. Aliyev was awarded the highest order of International Olympic Committee and “Grand Cordon” Order of Merit of International Military Sport Council.
Ilham Aliyev is fluent in Azerbaijani, English, Russian, French, and Turkish.
He is married, has three children.
"SINAM Ltd" congratulates Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on his birthday and wishes him robust health, happiness and success in his work!