# Ministry of Defence (Azerbaijan)

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikasının Müdafiə Nazirliyi) or MN is an Azerbaijani government agency that is associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan (for example, Azerbaijan’s contribution to the War on Terror), and the surveillance of the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea sea and airspace. The Minister of Defence is appointed and removed from the post by the Commander-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the President of Azerbaijan.
The ministry building is located in Baku, at 3 Parliament Avenue.

## History

The first defence minister of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was General Khosrov bey Sultanov, who was appointed on 28 May 1918. In accordance with the Action Plan approved by Parliament on formation of the army, important structures and divisions were to be established by 1 November 1919. Within the time alloted, an artillery division, and two infantry divisions consisting of three regiments, a special telegraph, cavalry and machine gun platoons, railway battalions were to be created. Another priority of the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was to establish the Ministry of Defence. No minister of defence portfolio was officially instituted but Khosrov bey Sultanov assumed the duties of the minister from 28 May 28 through to 11 June 11 1918. The Ministry of Defence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established by a decision made on 23 October 1918. This decision was formalized on 7 November 7 of the same year. After formalization of the decision Fatali-khan Khoyski was appointed the minister of defence. On 26 December 1918 Lieutenant General of the Russian Artillery Samad-bey Mehmandarov took office. Lieutenant General Aliagha Shikhlinski was appointed his deputy and Lieutenant General Suleyman Shulkevitch as the Chief of the General Staff. As the Ministry of Defence was officially dissolved in the wake of Azerbaijan's Sovietization in 1920, their functions were delegated to the People's Military Commissariat, and the Bolsheviks executed 15 of the 21 Army Generals of Azerbaijan. The newly-formed Azerbaijani Red Army replaced the previous army during the Russian Civil War.
In the midst of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and political turmoil in Azerbaijan in the late 1980s, the Azerbaijani military played an important role in the struggle for and retention of power.
The Ministry of Defence was established on 5 September 1991, following a resolution by the High Council of the Azerbaijan SSR. One month later, on 9 October, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan was established.

## Leadership

* Minister of Defence: Colonel General Zakir Hasanov
* Chief of the General Staff – First Deputy Minister of Defence: Lieutenant General Karim Valiyev
* Deputy Minister of Defence – Commander of the Combined Arms Army: Colonel General Kerem Mustafayev
* Deputy Minister of Defence – Chief of Main Department for Personnel: Lieutenant General Karim Valiyev
* Acting Deputy Minister of Defence for Logistics – Chief of the Main Department of Logistics: Lieutenant General Nizam Osmanov
* Deputy Minister of Defence – Commander of the Air Force: Lieutenant General Ramiz Tahirov
* Deputy Minister of Defence – Commander of the Land Forces: Lieutenant General Hikmat Mirzayev

## Structure

The ministry has the following structure:
* Central Command Post
* Main Department of Personnel
** Office for Women and Families of Servicemen
** Military Band Service
* Main Department of Logistics
* Main Department of Combat Training and Military Education
* Main Medical Department
* Organization and Mobilization Department
* Department of Staff
* Department for Ideological Work and Moral-Psychological Support
* Legal Department
* Department of Finance and Budget
* Department of Affairs
* Department for Municipal Services
* Department for Defence Procurement and Equipment
* Baku Garrison
* Military Police
* Institutions
** "Azərbaycan Ordusu" newspaper
** Central Clinical Hospital
** Research Centre
** Centre for Documentary and Educational Films of the Azerbaijan Army
** Military Scientific Centre
** Centre for War Games of the Armed Forces
** Army Ideological and Cultural Centre named after Hazi Aslanov
*** Song and Dance Ensemble
** Ideological and Cultural Centre of the Ganja Garrison
** Azerbaijan Military History Museum
** MOIK Baku

### Educational institutions under the ministry

* Military academies
** War College of the Armed Forces
** Training and Education Centre of the Armed Forces
** Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy
*** Azerbaijan Higher Naval Academy (former independent institution)
*** Azerbaijan High Military Aviation School (former independent institution)
* Other educational institutions
** Secondary Military Medical School of Azerbaijan
** Military Medical Faculty of Azerbaijan Medical University
* Military lyceums
** Jamshid Nakhchivanski Military Lyceum
** Heydar Aliyev Military Lyceum
The military education system of the Ministry of Defence is composed of educational institutions specialized on military and other relevant agencies that mainly focus on training and building a qualified and patriotic staff who are expected to implement the duties and tasks of armed forces and at the same time having adequate knowledge based on education standards of the country for guaranteeing the defence and security of Azerbaijan.

## International military cooperation

The main directions of international military cooperation:
* Bilateral and multilateral cooperation with countries in the region and beyond;
* Cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic structures;
* Cooperation with international organizations and defence-industrial complexes of foreign countries;
* Cooperation on military, military-political and military-technical issues to improve military security system;
* Study new programmes and mechanisms
* Broadening the participation in inspection activities set out under the Vienna Document 2011 "On Confidence and Security-Building Measures" and to the Treaty 1990 "On Conventional Armed Forces in Europe" (CFE);
* Expanding the activities related to crisis prevention and armed conflicts management, as well as resolution and elimination of their consequences, with a focus on conflicting efforts to combat international terrorism, the proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, their components and vehicles, modern global challenges and threats arising from military operations;
* Broadening the scope of activities related to the fulfilment of commitments and obligations arising out of the cooperation with international organizations and military organizations of foreign countries in the area of international military cooperation;
* Providing more effective training for military personnel and units, whose participation in peacekeeping operations are planned, the study of international experience and application capabilities to contribute to improvement of the level of combat training and its compatibility.

### Cooperation with OSCE

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan supports the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office to conduct a ceasefire monitoring exercises on the Line of Confrontation of the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as on the state border.

### Cooperation with NATO

The Republic of Azerbaijan joined the NATO-led "Partnership for Peace" (PFP) programme on 4 May 1994, and the NATO Planning and Review Process (PARP) in 1996. Azerbaijan joined the NATO military training and education programme aimed at improving the school of sergeants in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, training programmes for junior officers and the inclusion of the subject "Strategy and Defence Planning" in the educational programme of the Academy of Armed Forces as a new module. Azerbaijan has become a reliable partner in NATO-led operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and still contributes to the alliance’s mission in Afghanistan by deploying its peacekeeping forces there. Furthermore, on NATO's advice, Azerbaijan developed strategic documents on defence and security, and made improvements in this direction. Besides this, NATO and Azerbaijan cooperate on reorganizing units in accordance with NATO standards and on developing control and command capabilities for each armed service.

### Cooperation with ICRC

Cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) covers the issues of providing educational materials on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, delivering lectures on IHL in the Military Academy of the Armed Forces, and conducting training and seminars on IHL for servicemen, ensuring their participation in regional and international courses. Cooperation also helps to monitor the civilian population’s living conditions in the areas near the Line of Confrontation (LOC) between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan, through visits to these places, creating conditions for the agricultural activities of the civilian population living near the Line of Confrontation of the armed forces of the Armenia and Azerbaijan through launching some social orientated projects, alongside cooperation in arranging and conducting humanitarian assistance.

## List of ministers
### ADR

| № | President | President | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref |
| № | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Days | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref |
| 1 | | Khosrov bey Sultanov Xosrov bəy Sultanov (1879–1947) | 27 May 1918 | 11 June 1918 | 15 | Ittihad | 1. Rasulzade I | 1918 | |
| 2 | | Fatali Khan Khoyski Fətəli-xan Xoyski (1875–1920) | 7 November 1918 | 25 December 1918 | 48 | Independent | 2. Topchubashov I | 1918 | |
| 3 | | Samad bey Mehmandarov Səməd bəy Mehmandarov (1855–1931) | 25 December 1918 | 28 April 1920 | 731 | Independent | 3. Topchubashov I | 1918 | |

### Heads of Military Department of Azerbaijan SSR

People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs of Azerbaijan SSR
| № | Chairman | Chairman | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref |
| № | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Days | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref |
| 1 | | Chingiz Ildyrym Çingiz İldırım (1890–1938) | 28 April 1920 | 5 June 1920 | 38 | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 1. Hüseynov I | — | |
| 2 | | Aliheydar Garayev Aliheydar Garayev (1896–1938) | 5 June 1920 | 20 June 1920 | 15 | Communist (Bolsheviks) | 2. Hüseynov I | — | |

### Azerbaijan Republic

| № | President | President | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref |
| № | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Days | Political party | Government | Elected | Ref |
| 1 | | Valeh Barshadly Valeh Bərşadlı (1927–1999) | 5 September 1991 | 11 December 1991 | 97 | Military | Mütəllibov II | 1991 | |
| 2 | | Tajeddin Mehdiyev Tacəddin Mehdiyev (19??–) | 11 December 1991 | 17 February 1992 | 68 | Military | Mütəllibov II | 1971 | |
| – | | Shahin Musayev (Acting) Şahin Musayev (19??–) | 17 February 1992 | 24 February 1992 | 7 | Military | – | – | |
| 3 | | Tahir Aliyev Tahir Əliyev (1952–) | 24 February 1992 | 16 March 1992 | 21 | Military | – | 1992 | |
| 4 | | Rahim Gaziyev Rəhim Qazıyev (1943–) | 17 March 1992 | 20 February 1993 | 340 | Azerbaijani Popular Front Party | 4. Elçibəy I | 1992 | |
| 5 | | Dadash Rzayev Dadaş Rzayev (1935–2024) | 20 February 1993 | 17 June 1993 | 147 | Azerbaijani Popular Front Party | 5. Elçibəy I | 1993 | |
| – | | Safar Abiyev (Acting) Səfər Əbiyev (1950–) | 17 June 1993 | 7 August 1993 | 51 | New Azerbaijan Party | – | – | |
| – | | Vahid Musayev (Acting) Vahid Musayev (1947–1999) | 7 August 1993 | 25 August 1993 | 18 | New Azerbaijan Party | – | – | |
| 6 | | Mammadrafi Mammadov Məmmədrəfi Məmmədov (1942–) | 2 September 1993 | 6 February 1995 | 522 | New Azerbaijan Party | 6. H.Əliyev II | 1993 | |
| 7 | | Safar Abiyev Səfər Əbiyev (1950–) | 6 February 1995 | 22 October 2013 | 6833 | New Azerbaijan Party | 7. H.Əliyev II | 1995 | |
| 8 | | Zakir Hasanov Zakir Həsənov (1959–) | 22 October 2013 | | 4138 | New Azerbaijan Party | 8. İ.Əliyev I | 2013 | |