Today is President Ilham Aliyev's birthday

Today, the President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, turns 64 years old.

BAKU.WS reminds that Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev was born on December 24, 1961, in Baku.

From 1967 to 1977, he studied at secondary school No. 6 in the capital. From 1977 to 1982, he studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), after which in 1982 he entered the postgraduate program of this university. In 1985, after defending his dissertation, he received a PhD in Historical Sciences and from 1985 to 1990 taught at MGIMO.

From 1991 to 1994, he worked in the private business sector and headed several manufacturing and commercial enterprises. From 1994 until August 2003, he served first as Vice President, then as First Vice President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). He actively participated in implementing the oil strategy of national leader Heydar Aliyev.

In 1995 and 2000, he was elected as a deputy to the Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan.

Since 1997, he has been the president of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan.

In 1999, he was elected Deputy Chairman, in 2001 - First Deputy Chairman, and in 2005 - Chairman of the "Yeni Azerbaijan" party. From 2001 to 2003, he led the delegation of the Milli Mejlis of Azerbaijan to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). In January 2003, he was elected Vice-Chairman of PACE and a member of the PACE Bureau. On August 4, 2003, after approval by the Milli Mejlis, he was appointed Prime Minister of Azerbaijan. In connection with this, his parliamentary powers were terminated.

On October 15, 2003, Ilham Aliyev was elected President of Azerbaijan. More than 76% of voters voted for him in the presidential elections.

In 2004, he was awarded the diploma of an honorary member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the PACE medal.

In the elections held on October 15, 2008, Ilham Aliyev, receiving 88.73% of the votes, was elected President of Azerbaijan for the second time. In the elections held on October 9, 2013, Ilham Aliyev, receiving 84.54% of the votes, was elected President of Azerbaijan for the third time. In the elections held on April 11, 2018, Ilham Aliyev, winning 86.02% of the votes, was again elected President of Azerbaijan. On February 7, 2024, in the elections, Ilham Aliyev, receiving 92.12% of the votes, was elected President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for the fifth time. On February 14, the inauguration ceremony of the head of state took place in the Milli Mejlis.

Ilham Aliyev speaks five languages: Azerbaijani, Russian, English, French, and Turkish, making him one of the most linguistically gifted leaders in the post-Soviet space. In 1983, he tied his life with Mehriban Aliyeva, with whom he raised three children - Leyla, Arzu, and Heydar, and today the presidential couple also enjoys nine grandchildren.

President Ilham Aliyev has gone down in the history of Azerbaijan as a victorious commander. Thanks to his political determination and calculated strategy, Azerbaijan was able to liberate its territories from occupation, restoring historical justice.

From September 27 to November 10, 2020, in response to enemy provocations, the glorious Azerbaijani army under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev conducted the "Iron Fist" operation to liberate the occupied territories. This military campaign ended with a historic Victory and the restoration of the state's territorial integrity, ending almost 30 years of occupation of Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

On September