Ayaz Niyazi oghlu Mutallibov, russian: Аяз Ниязович Муталибов, Ayaz Niyazovich Mutalibov (12 May 1938 – 27 March 2022) was an Azerbaijani politician who served as the first president of Azerbaijan. He was the last leader of

Soviet Azerbaijan Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...

, and first

President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of Azerbaijan. The Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of executive power, commander-in-chief, "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies", ...

from 18 May 1990 until 6 March 1992 and from 14 May until 18 May 1992.

Biography

Ayaz Mutallibov was born on 12 May 1938, in Baku to the family of a physician and later

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

veteran, Niyazi Ashraf oghlu Mutallibov ( az, Niyazi Əşrəf oğlu Mütəllibov), and gynaecologist Kubra Mutallibova (died in 1988). Both of his parents were from

Shamakhi Shamakhi ( az, Şamaxı, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving it ...

. In 1956, Ayaz Mutallibov graduated from the secondary school #189 in Baku. During his youth he was fond of

jazz music Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a maj ...

. He was a member of the school volleyball team. In 1956–62, Mutallibov attended the Azerbaijan State Institute of Petroleum and Chemistry. In 1964, he became the director of the Baku Refrigerator Factory, and in 1974, he was appointed the General Director of the "BakElectroBytMash" State Industrial Company.

Political career

*1977 – appointed the Second Secretary of

Azerbaijan Communist Party The Azerbaijan Communist Party ( az, Azərbaycan Kommunist Partiyası; russian: Коммунистическая партия Азербайджана) was the ruling political party in the Azerbaijan SSR, making it effectively a branch of th ...

for Narimanov district of Baku. *1979 – appointed a Minister of Light Industry of Azerbaijan SSR. *1982 – appointed the Chairman of the State Planning Committee of Azerbaijan SSR and the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan SSR. *January 1989 – appointed the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan SSR. *20 January 1990 – Soviet troops enter Baku;

Black January Black January ( az, Qara Yanvar), also known as Black Saturday or the January Massacre, was a violent crackdown on the civilian population of Baku on 19–20 January 1990, as part of a state of emergency during the dissolution of the Soviet Uni ...

crackdown takes place. *24 January 1990 – While in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Mutallibov is appointed the First Secretary of the

. *18 May 1990 – Supreme Council of Azerbaijan SSR elects Mutallibov as the first President of Azerbaijan SSR. *December 1990 – at Mutallibov's initiative, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan SSR officially renames the country to

Azerbaijan Republic Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country, transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Wester ...

and adopts the Declaration of Sovereignty. *17 March 1991 – under pressure from Mutallibov, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan votes for participation of Azerbaijan in the referendum on the fate of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. *19 August 1991 – According to some reports, while on a visit to

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, Mutalibov made a statement about the Soviet coup attempt of 1991. However, in 2016, the ex-president of Azerbaijan said that he did not support the putschists. *30 August 1991 – Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopts the Declaration of Independence of Azerbaijan. *14 September 1991 – Mutallibov dissolves the

Communist Party of Azerbaijan The Azerbaijan Communist Party ( az, Azərbaycan Kommunist Partiyası; russian: Коммунистическая партия Азербайджана) was the ruling political party in the Azerbaijan SSR, making it effectively a branch of the ...

and proposes constitutional changes for direct nationwide elections of president. *8 September 1991 – Mutallibov elected as president in a single-candidate nationwide election. *December 1991 – In a nationwide referendum, Azerbaijani voters approve the Declaration of Independence adopted by the Supreme Council;

is dissolved, Azerbaijan is recognized as an independent state by Turkey, Israel, Romania and Pakistan. *25 February 1992 – Armenian forces with the support of Russia's 366th Motor Rifle Regiment took control of Khojaly; fleeing residents become victims of the Khojaly Massacre. *6 March 1992 – Under pressure from Azerbaijan Popular Front due to mismanagement in defense of Khojaly and safety of its inhabitants, Mutallibov was forced to submit his resignation to the

National Assembly of Azerbaijan The National Assembly ( az, Milli Məclis), also transliterated as Milli Mejlis, is the legislative branch of government in Azerbaijan. The unicameral National Assembly has 125 deputies: previously 100 members were elected for five-year terms ...

. *8 May 1992 – Armenian forces take control of

Shusha / hy, Շուշի , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg , image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govha ...

, the last Azerbaijani-populated town in

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is m ...

. *14 May 1992 – Supreme Council of Azerbaijan, dominated by the former members of the

, hears the case on Khojaly Massacre, relieves Mutallibov of any responsibility, reverses his prior resignation and restores him as the

. *15 May 1992 – Armed forces led by the Azerbaijan Popular Front take control of the offices of the

Parliament of Azerbaijan The National Assembly ( az, Milli Məclis), also transliterated as Milli Mejlis, is the legislative branch of government in Azerbaijan. The unicameral National Assembly has 125 deputies: previously 100 members were elected for five-year terms ...

and Azerbaijani State Radio and Television, thereby deposing Mutallibov, who leaves for

; defunct Supreme Council of Azerbaijan is dissolved passing the duties to the

formed by equal representation of Azerbaijan Popular Front and former communists. *17 May 1992 – Armenian forces take control of

Lachin Lachin ( az, Laçın, , ; hy, Բերձոր, translit=Berdzor; ku, Laçîn) is a town in Azerbaijan and the administrative center of the Lachin District. It is located within the strategic Lachin corridor, which links the disputed region of N ...

, Isa Gambar is elected as the new Chairman of the

and takes on the temporary duties of

until the national elections on 17 June 1992.

Exile

Mutallibov was in exile in

from May 1992 until July 2012. In 1994 he published a book called ''Karabakh – Black Garden'' in Moscow. In April 2000, his followers in Baku declared the formation of the new

Civil Union Party The Civic Unity Party (CUP) ( az, Vətəndaş Birliyi Partiyası) is an Azerbaijani political party established in 1999 in Moscow by the former President of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutallibov. After the 2000 parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, the pa ...

. In 2003 he joined the Azerbaijan Social Democratic Party (ASDP) and became its co-chairman in exile. In July 2012, Mutallibov returned from exile with the permission of President Ilham Aliyev.

Family and personal life

Mutallibov was married to Adila Mutallibova, who died in 2019. They had two sons, Azad and Zaur, grandson Tahir and granddaughter Madina. His son Azad died of cancer on 9 August 2011, leaving only Zaur.Ayaz Mutallibov's son passes away
/ref> Mutallibov arrived in Baku to attend his son’s funeral. It was his first visit to the country after 1992.

Notes

References

External links

Ayaz Mutallibov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutallibov, Ayaz 1938 births 2022 deaths Azerbaijani Muslims Presidents of Azerbaijan Azerbaijani exiles Azerbaijani expatriates in Russia Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Azerbaijan Communist Party (1920) politicians Azerbaijani Social Democratic Party politicians Soviet chemists Azerbaijani chemists Soviet politicians Politicians from Baku Heads of the government of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Heads of state of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic