August 26 marks the birthday of Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and First Lady of the country.
Sea-news.az reports Mehriban Aliyeva was born on August 26, 1964, in Baku.
In 1981, she graduated from Baku Secondary School No. 23 with a gold medal and enrolled in the Faculty of Preventive Medicine at the Azerbaijan State Medical Institute named after Nariman Narimanov. In 1988, she graduated with honors from the First Moscow State Medical Institute named after I.M. Sechenov. From 1988 to 1990, she completed a clinical residency specializing in ophthalmology at the same institute, and from 1990 to 1995, she worked at the Research Institute of Eye Diseases in Moscow.
In 1995, Mehriban Aliyeva founded the Azerbaijan Culture Foundation and currently serves as its head. In 1996, she founded the magazine “Azerbaijan – Heritage”, published in Azerbaijani, English and Russian to promote Azerbaijani culture.
In October 2002, she was elected President of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation. Since 2004, she has headed the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, established to study and promote the rich political legacy of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the principles of national statehood.
In 2004, Mehriban Aliyeva was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for her services to the preservation and development of Azerbaijan’s oral folk literature and musical heritage. In 2006, she was named a Goodwill Ambassador of ISESCO for her extensive humanitarian activities, contribution to the development of intercultural and inter-civilizational dialogue, promotion of Islamic cultural heritage, and support for children in need.
In 2005, she received a PhD degree in philosophy. She was elected a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament in 2005, 2010 and 2015.
A member of the Political Council of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2004, she became Deputy Chairperson of the party in 2013 and First Deputy Chairperson in 2021.
On February 21, 2017, Mehriban Aliyeva was appointed First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In connection with her appointment, her parliamentary mandate was terminated on March 6, 2017.
