BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The USACC Board of Trustees is a group of Americans and Azerbaijanis interested in promoting friendship, cooperation and commerce between the American people and the people of Azerbaijan. The Board of Trustees offers its recommendations to the USACC Board of Directors on all matters related to the Chambers programs and activities.

Ilham Aliyev President of Azerbaijan

President Ilham Aliyev was born on December 24, 1961 in the city of Baku where he studied in elementary schools from 1967 to 1977. In 1977 he entered the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations and upon graduation, he entered a post-graduate program in the same Institute, earning a Masters degree of History and International Relations in 1985.

Between 1985 and 1990 President Aliyev was a teacher at the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations. From 1991 to1994 he was engaged in commercial activity in Moscow and Istanbul. Since May 1994, he has been the first Vice-President of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).

In 1995 Ilham Aliyev was elected to the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In December of 1999 he was elected to the post of Deputy Chairman of the ruling party, “Yeni Azerbaijan,” and two years later became First Deputy Chairman of the party. He has been the President of the National Olympic Committee of the Azerbaijan Republic since 1997. In January 2003, Mr. Aliyev was elected as Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly and Bureau member of the Council of Europe.

Ilham Aliyev was appointed Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan according to the Milli Majlis (Parliament) decree dated on August 04, 2003. He was later elected as a President of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a result of the elections held on October 15, 2003.

He is fluent in Azeri, Russian, English and French, and has two daughters and a son.