Safar Abiyev

Safar Abiyev
Born	Safar Akhundbala oghlu Abiyev (1950-01-27) January 27, 1950 Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
Occupation	Military officer
Years active	1971–2013
Known for	Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan (1995–2013)

Colonel General Safar Akhundbala oghlu Abiyev (; born January 27, 1950) held the position of Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense from 1995 until 2013, ranking among the longest-tenured defense ministers within the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Early life and career

Abiyev, an ethnic Lezgin, was born in Baku. He completed his education at the Baku Higher All-Arms Command School in 1971 and later graduated from the Command Faculty of the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow in 1982. His entire professional path has been devoted to military service. On June 17, 1993, following the removal of Minister Dadash Rzayev, Abiyev was named Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces and appointed as acting Minister of Defense. He maintained the acting minister role until August 1993, when Deputy Minister Vahid Musayev succeeded him; however, Musayev was soon dismissed by President Heydar Aliyev. Abiyev continued as Chief of General Staff until November 2, 1993, when Najmaddin Sadigov took over the post. On February 6, 1995, Abiyev was reinstated as Minister of Defense, succeeding Mammadrafi Mammadov.

Defence minister

Abiyev participated in the State Commission overseeing Heydar Aliyev's funeral. Following the pardon granted to Ramil Safarov, Abiyev elevated him to the rank of major, allocated housing, and arranged payment of more than eight years’ back wages. In 2008, he orchestrated the first military parade in sixteen years to commemorate the Azerbaijani Armed Forces' 90th anniversary and subsequently led two additional parades held on Azadliq Square.

Foreign relations

During Abiyev's tenure, the establishment of the Training and Education Center of the Armed Forces resulted from a 2000 agreement between Azerbaijan and the Turkish Armed Forces. In November 2011, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus met with Abiyev and President Aliyev to announce enhanced military cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States. In discussions held in Tehran in 2012 with Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, Abiyev assured that Azerbaijan would not permit its territory to be used against Iran. According to documents released by Wikileaks in 2010, Abiyev disclosed that during a 2009 visit to Moscow, Russian Defence Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov unofficially acknowledged supplying arms to Armenia despite official denials.

Downfall

Abiyev encountered criticism at the start of 2013 amid the 2013 Baku protests, triggered by the death of Azerbaijani Army soldier Ceyhun Qubadov on January 7. While initially reported as caused by a heart attack, Qubadov’s family suspected foul play, prompting demonstrations featuring slogans such as "Stop killing our soldiers." After an internal inquiry, President Ilham Aliyev relieved Abiyev of his duties. Later that year, his successor Zakir Hasanov visited the 2nd Army Corps, previously under Abiyev’s influence, announcing leadership restructuring and promoting approximately fifty officers who had previously been overlooked.

Post-military

Ogtay Mammadov from Pirvakhid (Quba), who is Abiyev’s brother-in-law, reported that Abiyev has lost contact with family members, leading to speculation that he and his eldest son Ruslan reside in Europe. Nonetheless, a military analyst later confirmed that Abiyev lives in Baku and receives a pension exceeding 3,000 manats monthly. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Abiyev publicly commended Presidents Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, criticized strained relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, and controversially asserted that Armenians lack a genuine national history or homeland.

Personal life

Abiyev is a father to two sons: Ruslan, who serves in the tax authority, and Roman, who is employed by the prosecutor's office.

Awards

• Shohrat Order (awarded January 26, 2010)
• Azerbaijani Flag Order (received in 1995 and again in 2003)
• 10th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan (1991–2001) Medal
• 95th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan (1918–2013) Medal
• For Faultless Service medal
• Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• Medal "For Battle Merit"
• Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
• Medal "For Impeccable Service"
• Medal awarded for "5 years of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan"

See also

• Azerbaijani Armed Forces

External links

• Labyrinth database