Hafiz Pashayev

Hafiz Mir Jalal oglu Pashayev (Azerbaijani: Hafiz Mir Cəlal oğlu Paşayev; born May 2, 1941) is the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the founding rector of the ADA University. He holds the Doctor of Sciences degree in Physics and was the ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States until 2006.

Early life

Hafiz Pashayev was born in Baku, Azerbaijan on May 2, 1941. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Physics from the Azerbaijan State University in 1963. After the graduation, he started to work at the Physics Institute of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences until 1967. In 1971, he obtained the Candidate of Sciences degree at the I. V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy in Moscow. In 1975-1976, he continued the investigations at the University of California, Irvine. Finally, he obtained the Doctor of Sciences degree in 1984. From 1971 to 1992, Pashayev worked as a researcher and a laboratory chief at the Physics Institute of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.

Political career

Hafiz Pashayev started his political career in 1993 as an Azerbaijan's first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States (also accredited in Canada and Mexico). He was retained in his post till 2006, when at the same year he was appointed the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Azerbaijan Republic. Pashayev is accountable for the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy established under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Republic. He is the first rector of the academy. Moreover, Hafiz Pashayev is the author of more than 100 scientific works and 2 monographs, as well as the articles on various socio-political issues in the local and international media.

Personal life

Hafiz Pashayev is married, he has two children and four grandchildren. Other than his native language - Azerbaijani, he speaks fluent English and Russian. He is the son of the well-known writer and literary critic, Mir Jalal Pashayev and the uncle of the Azerbaijan's current First Lady, Mehriban Aliyeva.