Zakir Hasanov
|
Zakir Hasanov Colonel General |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Minister of Defence | |
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Assumed office 22 October 2013 |
|
| President | Ilham Aliyev |
| Preceded by | Safar Abiyev |
| Minister of Internal Affairs | |
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In office 17 January 2003 – 22 October 2013 |
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| President | Ilham Aliyev |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Zakir Hasanov June 6, 1959 Astara District |
| Alma mater | Baku High Army Commanders School |
| Profession | Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Soviet Union Azerbaijan
|
| Service/branch |
Soviet Army Azerbaijani Army |
| Years of service | 1990–present |
| Battles/wars | Nagorno-Karabakh War |
Colonel General Zakir Hasanov (born 6 June 1959) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan since 2013.
He was born on 6 June 1959 in the Astara District. He graduated from the Baku High Army Commanders School in 1980 as an Artillery officer before serving for five years from 1980 in the Soviet Armed Forces Units in East Germany. He spent the next eight years at the Altay Military registration and enlistment office of the Siberia Military Region as part of the ministry of defense of the USSR. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, he then served for a decade with the Border Troops of the National Ministry of Security of Azerbaijan. He was then promoted to the chief of office of international relations of the State Border Service before being appointed Deputy Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Troops by a presidential decree on 17 January 2003, when he was also promoted to the rank of major-general four months later.
He was previously the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Upon coming into office as the Minister of Defence, he made statements in regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This included saying that the Azeri army was strong and disciplined as opposed to that of Armenia and that "the situation in the Armenian armed forces is disastrous. In case of war the troops of this country will escape from the field of battle." He also told the European Union that his country would support liberating "its" lands peacefully but he emphasized that Azerbaijan reserves the right to liberate "its occupied lands," this came at the same time as E.U. Special Representative for the South Caucasus Philippe Lefort congratulated him on his appointment.
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Wikipedia