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Rahman Sahib oglu Mustafayev is an Azerbaijani diplomat, appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in October 2022 and the Permanent Representative to the OPCW in December 2022, after serving as Ambassador to France (October 2017 - October 2022) and to the Holy See (December 2017 - October 2022).

He was born on September 26, 1963 in Baku to a family of Soviet-Azerbaijani diplomat.

From 1980 to 1985 he studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO, Faculty of International Economic Relations), which he graduated with honors.

From July 1985 till July 1987 he did his military service in Libya (at the time called Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya).

In August 1987 he began his diplomatic career in the Department of Middle East and North Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR  in Moscow.

From February 1988 to May 1992, he served as secretary, then attaché of the USSR (since 1991 - Russian Federation) Embassy in the Republic of Sudan (Khartoum).

In May 1992, after the collapse of the USSR and the restoration of the independence of Azerbaijan on October 18, 1991, he returned to Baku.

From December 1992 to February 1993 he headed the Foreign Policy section of Azadliq (Freedom) newspaper.

In February 1993, he was appointed senior advisor at the Press Service Department of the Office of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In October 1994, he returned to the diplomatic service and was posted to the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation. From October 1994 to October 1997 he worked as the Second, then the First Secretary of the Embassy.

From October 1997 to November 1999, he was appointed Director of International Relations Department at the State Privatization Agency of Azerbaijan.

From December 1999 to April 2006 he worked as Political Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Russia.

In June 2006, he returned to Baku and was appointed Deputy Director, then in December 2006 Director of Europe and Americas Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In October 2009, he was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Greece, and in 2010 - Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Albania, residing in Athens. Considering the importance of project selection (2010-2013), contracting (2013-2014) and construction phases (2013-2020) of Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP, one of three chains of a 3.500 km long Southern Gas Corridor), which started transporting natural gas from the Shah Deniz II gas field in the national sector of Azerbaijan the Caspian Sea to Europe on December 31, 2020, these two countries stood at the forefront of regional policy and energy diplomacy of Azerbaijan at the time.

From October 13, 2017 till October 17, 2022, he served as Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to French Republic. On November 24, 2020, he addressed the hearings at the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces  and on December 2, 2020 – the hearings at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of the French Republic on the issues related to the Second Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan, on post-conflict situation in South Caucasus region and Azerbaijani-French relations. 

From December 21, 2017, till October 17, 2022, he served as Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Holy See, and from March 13, 2018 till October 17, 2022 as Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Principality of Monaco with residence in Paris.

Azerbaijan attaches great importance to its relations with the Holy See. Thanks to the efforts of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation (HAF) and particularly to its President, the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, who visited Vatican City six times (in November 2011, June 2012, June 2014, February 2016, September 2018 and February 2020), political dialogue and cooperation in the restoration of the cultural heritage of the Roman Catholic church has been actively developing in 2017-2022. Important projects have been carried out during this period at the initiative and with the active support of Mme M. Aliyeva. On February 28, 2019, the "Agreement on the Restoration of the Mausoleum in the Catacombs of Commodilla" was signed between the HAF and the Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology. In the framework of this cooperation, restoration works in the catacombs of Commodilla, dating to the 4th century, particularly famous for the burials of Saints Felix and Adauctus, had been successfully carried out.

On the same day of February 28, 2019, "Agreement between the HAF and The Fabric of Saint Peter in Vatican on the restoration work of the necropolis underneath Saint Peter's Basilica and Altar of Saint Leo the Great in Saint Peter's Basilica" was signed. This masterpiece of the Italian sculptor Alessandro Algardi, created in the years 1640-1653, represents the meeting between Pope Leo I and the Emperor of the Huns Attila, who abandoned the conquest of Rome after the appeals of the Pontiff. This project was successfully implemented in 2019-2021, and is considered one of the most important in the history of Azerbaijan - Holy See relations.

On October 17, 2022, he was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (presented his credentials to H.M. King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander on November 30, 2022).

On December 28, 2022, he was appointed the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the OPCW.

Scientific activities and publications

In 1993, he obtained his doctorate with a thesis on “Islam and nationalism in the theory and practice of the state-building process in Moslem countries” at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In 2003-2005, he completed language courses at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

In 2006, he published “Two Republics. Azerbaijani-Russian relations in 1918-1922”, Moscow (in Russian)

In 2016, he published “Azerbaijan between the Great Powers (1918-1920)”, Athens, Enalios Publishing House (in Greek).

In 2019 he published «L'Azerbaïdjan entre les grandes puissances (1918-1921)», Presse du Châtelet, Paris (second edition in French).

In 2022, he published “Azerbaijan between the Great Powers (1918-1921)”, Khudojestvennaya Literatura, Moscow (third edition in Russian) 

He is fluent in English, French, Greek, Arabic and Russian.

Honors

In 2009, he received the Knight Medal of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, awarded by Polish President Lech Kaczynski in June 2009.

In 2014, he received the honorary distinction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

On July 9, 2019, he received the medal of the National Order “For Service to the Fatherland” of 3rd Degree, awarded by order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Notes and references

1. musulmansenfrancejmb, « DÉPART DE RAHMAN MUSTAFAYEV, L’AMBASSADEUR D’AZERBAÏDJAN QUI A DONNÉ UNE LEÇON À LA FRANCE» [archive], sur Musulmans en France, 22 novembre 2022 (consulté le 5 décembre 2022)
2. ↑« Ambassade d'Azerbaïdjan en France » [archive]
3. ↑Azadliq [archive]
4. ↑« L’ambassadeur Rahman Mustafayev a présenté ses lettres de créance au président français Emmanuel Macron » [archive], sur mfa.gov.az (consulté le 29 mai 2019)
5. ↑« L’ambassadeur d’Azerbaïdjan en France a accordé une interview au Journal du Parlement » [archive]
6. ↑« L’entretien exclusif avec Rahman Mustafayev, nouvel Ambassadeur d’Azerbaïdjan en France » [archive]
7. ↑« Le journal du Parlement : Les trois couleurs de la Première République - Interview de Rahman Mustafayev » [archive]
8. ↑« L’ambassadeur d’Azerbaïdjan remet ses lettres de créance au pape François » [archive], sur mfa.gov.az (consulté le 29 mai 2019)
9. ↑« « Les relations avec le Saint-Siège occupent une place particulière dans la politique étrangère de notre pays » (Interview de S.E. Rahman Mustafayev, Ambassadeur d’Azerbaïdjan auprès du Saint-Siège) » [archive], sur FR, 10 février 2021 (consulté le 11 février 2021)
10. ↑« Monaco Hebdo : "Le souverain est le vrai ami de l’Azerbaïdjan " » [archive]
11. ↑https://president.az/az/articles/view/57589 [archive]
12. ↑« Essentiel : Accueil » [archive], sur essentiel-int.com (consulté le 4 janvier 2021)
13. ↑admin, « E.Rahman Mustafayev » [archive], sur Le Journal du Parlement (consulté le 4 janvier 2021)
14. ↑Jean Kedroff, « Haut-Karabakh : pour l'ambassadeur de l'Azerbaïdjan, “l'Arménie viole depuis trente ans le droit international” » [archive], sur Valeurs actuelles (consulté le 16 novembre 2020)
15. ↑fr et Rahman Mustafayev, « Sur le conflit au Karabakh seule la voix de l’Arménie a été entendue » [archive], sur Causeur, 17 novembre 2020 (consulté le 18 novembre 2020)
16. https:lejournalduparlement.fr/accueil/politique/nouvellesdiplomatiques/s-e-rahman-mustafayev
17. Jean Kedroff, "Nagorno-Karabakh: for Azerbaijan's ambassador, 'Armenia has been violating international law for thirty years'" [archive], (accessed on November 16, 2020)
18. fr and Rahman Mustafayev, "On the Karabakh conflict only Armenia's voice was heard" [archive], (accessed 18 November 2020)
19. fr, "En France la voix de l'Azerbaïdjan n'est pas entendue" [archive],(accessed April 23, 2021)
20. Ümit Dönmez, "Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Paris denounces French bias against Armenian occupation" [archive], at aa.com.tr, 8 November 2020 (accessed 8 November 2020
21. "AZERBAIJAN AND THE HIGH-KARABAH CONFLICT: An exclusive interview with HE Rahman Mustafayev, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Paris" [archive], on Muslims in France, 5 October 2020 (accessed 18 November 2020)
22. Anadolu Agence, "A misleading proposal on Azerbaijan" [archive], at aa.com
23. "Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Exclusive interview with HEM Rahman Mustafayev Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to France. @rahman2609m - Smartrezo France video" [archive], on Smartrezo (accessed January 4, 2021)
24. https://paris.mfa.gov.az/fr/news/4993/lambassadeur-dazerbaidjan-le-haut-karabakh-est-notre-alsace-lorraine
25. "Nagorno-Karabakh: 'International law has been restored' (H.E. R. Mustafayev)" [archive]
26. "Mustafayev: Armenia gives religious coloration to its confrontation with Azerbaijan (Interview)" [archive], at www.aa.com.tr (accessed 30 April 2021)
27. "Karabagh, one year after the war what situation? Interview with Rahman Mustafayef, Azerbaijani ambassador to France" [archive], on Conflits, 22 October 2021 (accessed 25 October 2021)
28. https://www.latribune.fr/opinions/tribunes/pourquoi-il-faut-consolider-les-relations-economiques-entre-la-france-et-l-azerbaidjan-899906.html
29. Nicolas Beau, "Azerbaijan's ambassador: 'Nagorno-Karabakh is our Alsace Lorraine'" [archive], on Mondafrique, 19 November 2020 (accessed 4 January 2021)
30. "Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Armed Services: record of the week of November 23, 2020" [Archive], at www.senat.fr (accessed February 3, 2021)
31. Mondafrique editorial board, "Azerbaijan to the rescue of energy security in Europe." [archive], on Mondafrique, 21 February 2022 (accessed 23 February 2022)
32. (it) Salvatore Izzo, "The Christian roots of the Caucasus. The History of the Church of Azerbaijan (Rahman Mustafayev) | St. Peter's Square" [archive] (accessed February 23, 2022)
33. (it) redazione, "Le radici cristiane del Caucaso. La storia della Chiesa dell'Azerbaigian (Rahman Mustafayev)" [archive], on FarodiRoma, 8 February 2022 (accessed 23 February 2022)
34. (it) Salvatore Izzo, "Stay human. Thirty years after the Khojaly massacre. Reflection of the Azerbaijani Ambassador to the Holy See, Rahman Mustafayev | St. Peter's Square" [archive] (accessed March 17, 2022)
35. Conflits magazine, "After the war in Karabagh, rebuilding the South Caucasus" [archive], on Conflits : Revue de Géopolitique, 1er April 2022 (accessed 18 May 2022)
36. https://paris.mfa.gov.az/fr/content/41/ambassadeur