A New Face for Our Parliamentary Diplomacy: RIZVAN NABIYEV!

On September 1st, a new parliament will be formed in Azerbaijan. Among the candidates I believe will gain the positive approval of voters is Rizvan Nabiyev, who is running from the 49th Abşeron Second Electoral District.

When I saw Rizvan Nabiyev’s name on the list of registered candidates announced by the Central Election Commission, my joy and satisfaction were accompanied by a strong sense of confidence. Our friends working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have consistently praised Rizvan Nabiyev’s significant contributions as a professional diplomat to the protection of Azerbaijan's national interests. For this reason, I have no doubt that his candidacy for parliament and his election with the support of voters would be extremely beneficial for our country.

Indeed, the Second Karabakh War has created new realities for our country and our region. This is a fact. Another fact is that the world is changing rapidly, and these changes present both positive challenges and the collapse of the international architecture established after the Second World War and reconfigured with the dissolution of the USSR. Azerbaijani Leader Ilham Aliyev is working diligently and with great diplomatic skill to guide our country towards new national goals in a world he interprets with precision. There is now a crucial need for our state's institutional system to provide maximum support to President Ilham Aliyev’s grand mission.

This necessity demands that the Azerbaijani parliament renew and strengthen its diplomatic potential and align our foreign policy with modern principles and pace.

When considering these conditions more broadly and in detail, the importance of Rizvan Nabiyev’s intellectual, professional, and moral potential for the new parliament becomes evident once again.

Rizvan Nabiyev was born in 1975 in the Qanlı village of the Basarkeçər district in the Goycha region. He received his education at the Qanlı village secondary school until the seventh grade. Having been subjected to deportation like our compatriots living in Armenia, he continued his education in Baku.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Baku State University and a master's degree in European Law from Saarland University in Germany.

He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin. He is the first Azerbaijani to defend a dissertation in humanitarian sciences in Germany in the history of independent Azerbaijan. His book on "Energy Policy and Geopolitical Interests in the Caspian Basin" was published in German.

He has taught at the Free University of Berlin, one of the world’s top 100 universities. He has written and published 15 books in German and English on Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan. He is also a co-author of the scholarly monograph “The Heritage of Shusha,” published in German and English.

Rizvan Nabiyev has over 20 years of diplomatic experience. He has worked in various responsible positions at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Germany and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Since 2022, he has been a department head at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He has contributed to the negotiation and signing of international agreements and other documents with over 80 states.

He was the Coordinator for the “2008 - Azerbaijan Year in Germany” dedicated to the presentation of our country.

He has been awarded the “Medal for Distinguished Service in State Service” and several other honors.

He is married with two children.

Now, with your permission, I would like to highlight a point that was intentionally left out of Rizvan Nabiyev’s biography above.

In the 1990s, the Republic History Lyceum operated under Baku State University’s History Faculty and Yasamal district’s No. 20 school. The lyceum attracted students with special talents in history from all over Azerbaijan and provided an experimental curriculum based on the Baku State University History Faculty's program rather than standard secondary school lessons. Rizvan was in the third group, where Persian and German languages were taught, and he excelled with top grades. His days were usually divided between the lyceum and the reading rooms of the M.F. Akhundov National Library. Thus, with all sincerity and hand on heart, I say that Rizvan Nabiyev is one of the most modest, ethical, and intellectual individuals among our generation in the country. He is honest, reliable, kind-hearted, consistent, and communicative.

The voters of the 49th Abşeron Second District need to be aware of his historical awareness, diplomatic experience, and personal care, and I believe they will be!

Social networks in our country have spread the disease of populism. Those who shout the loudest and engage in lengthy, non-scientific, illogical "discussions" to appear "sweet" to the public are often mistakenly considered beneficial for public interests. Aggressive social platform users do not wish to let the country's considerable cadre potential emerge, present itself, and gain representation. For this reason, I am in favor of seeing candidates like Rizvan Nabiyev, who has been subjected to deportation by Azerbaijan's historical enemies at an early age and has built a successful diplomatic career through hard work and diligence, as a valuable opportunity. His election to the Milli Majlis would mean a successful parliamentary mandate for our people and state, ensuring the strategic interests of our country.

Taleh SHAHSUVARLI,

Editor-in-Chief of AzNews.az analytical-information portal