Artur Rasizade

Artur Tahir oghlu Rasizade (Azerbaijani: Artur Tahir oğlu Rasi-zadə; born 26 February 1935) is the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan. Rasizade was a long-time Communist Party member during the Azerbaijan SSR period. He was Prime Minister from 20 July 1996 until 4 August 2003, when he resigned, ostensibly due to health reasons, enabling President Heydar Aliyev's son Ilham Aliyev to assume the office. Rasizade continued to act as Prime Minister for Ilham Aliyev, however, and he formally returned to the post on 4 November 2003, after Ilham Aliyev was elected as president.

Artur Rasizade was born on 26 February 1935 in Kirovabad (nowadays Ganja) in a teacher's family. His father Tair Mamed Oglou Rasizade was killed during the World War II in 1942. In 1952 Artur Rasizade graduated from the Secondary school № 4 (Lankaran), and in 1957 he finished Azerbaijani industrial institute of M. Azizbekov. After the graduation he started working as engineer in Azerbaijani institute of oil mechanical engineering. In 1973 Rasizade became a scientific vice-principal of this institute.

In 1975 he was appointed as Senior Principal Engineer of SOCAR (Industrial Machinery). In 1977 he became a director of the Azerbaijani institute of oil mechanical engineering. From 1978 to 1981 he worked as vice-chairman of the State Planning Committee of the Azerbaijan SSR. From 1981 to 1986 he was a chief of Department of mechanical engineering of the Azerbaijan Central Committee. From 1986 to 1992 he was the First Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR, supervising energy, mechanical engineering, defense, oil and chemical industries. From 1992 to 1996 he was a council of the Economic development fund.

From February 1996 he worked as an assistant of the President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev; then, on 3 May 1996, he was appointed as the First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan. On 20 July 1996 he became acting Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, and on 26 November 1996 he was appointed as Prime Minister. On 4 August 2003 he was relieved of his post of Prime Minister to make way for Aliyev's son Ilham and was instead appointed as First Deputy Prime Minister. However, on 4 November 2003 he resumed his post of Prime Minister after Ilham Aliyev took office as President.

Artur Rasizade is married and has a daughter.

On 28 June 2006 Rasizade was awarded with Istiglal Order (Azerbaijani: Istiqlal ordeni) for his contributions to economic development of Azerbaijan by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev . On 25 February 2015 Artur Rasizade was given Shohrat Order (Azerbaijani: Şöhrət ordeni) for his special contributions to the economic, scientific, socio and cultural development. Among others Rasizade was awarded with Sharaf Order (Azerbaijani: "Şərəf" ordeni) – Order of Glory; Order of National Cohesion; National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur). In 1971 he was a winner of the USSR State Prize (Russian: Госуда́рственная пре́мия СССР).