Karim Tofig oghlu Valiyev (; born 9 February 1961) is an Azerbaijani military officer, serving as the

colonel general Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically General officer#Old European system, general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, ...

in the

Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Azerbaijani Armed Forces () is the military of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. It was re-established according to the country's Law of the Armed Forces on 9 October 1991. The original Azerbaijan Democratic Republic's armed forces were ...

. He is the Chief of the General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the First Deputy Minister of Defence of Azerbaijan. He had served as the head of the Main Department for Personnel of the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan on 23 July 2021. Valiyev had taken part in the

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, surrounding occupied territories. It was a major esca ...

Early life

Karim Tofig oghlu Valiyev was born on 9 February 1961, in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, the capital of the

Azerbaijani SSR The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union be ...

, which was then part of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. In 1982, he graduated with honours from the

Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School The Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School (BVOKU) was one of the military academies of the USSR. It trained military personnel in a number of specializations. It was located in Baku in the Azerbaijan SSR. History On November 29, 1939, the ...

. Valiyev served in the

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

as a cadet platoon commander, assistant head of the training department, and the senior assistant to the head of the training department from 1982 to 1990. From 1990 to 1994, he studied at the

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Military service

Since 1992, Karim Valiyev has been serving in the

. During the years of service, he held the positions of the deputy head of the training department, the deputy brigade commander, the brigade commander, the deputy front commander, the deputy minister of defence for combat operations, the commander of a military formation, the head of the Military Scientific Center, and the head of the Defence Planning Military Strategy. Karim Valiyev took part in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Then, on 10 December, Valiyev led the victory parade in Baku held in the occasion of Azerbaijan's victory in the war. On 23 July 2021, Karim Valiyev was appointed as

Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan Republic () is the Staff (military), military staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and oversees operational management of the armed fo ...

Personal life

Karim Valiyev is married and has two children.

Awards

* Valiyev was awarded the

Azerbaijani Flag Order Azerbaijani Flag Order () is an award presented by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. History and status Azerbaijani Flag order was among several medals and orders, requested to be reviewed and created by the President Abulfaz Elchibey ...

in 1994, by the order of the then

President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. The Constitution of Azerbaijan, Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of Executive (government), executive power, co ...

Heydar Aliyev Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev (10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) was an Azerbaijani politician who was a Soviet party boss in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic from 1969 to 1982, and the third president of Azerbaijan from October 1993 to ...

. * Valiyev was awarded the For the Motherland Medal in 2005, by the order of the

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev (born 24 December 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the fourth president of Azerbaijan since 2003. He is also the leader of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005. The son and second child of former Aze ...

. * Valiyev was awarded the For Military Merit Medal in 2012, by the order of the President Aliyev. * Valiyev was awarded the

Zafar Order The Zafar Order, or the Victory Order (), is an order of Azerbaijan. The order was created on the occasion of Azerbaijan being the victor in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. History On 11 November 2020, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliye ...

in 2020, by the order of the President Aliyev.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valiyev, Karim 1964 births Military personnel from Baku Azerbaijani generals Azerbaijani military personnel of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War Living people Recipients of the Azerbaijani Flag Order Recipients of the Vagif Samadoghlu Medal