The ministry was first established in 1918. In the Soviet era it largely lost its sovereign authority which was restored after Azerbaijan's independence in 1991.
History
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan was established in 1918, during the first Republic of Azerbaijan. In that period, Azerbaijan gained international recognition and built diplomatic relations with several countries. In 1918–1920 there were representatives in Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Turkistan, with embassy and authorized representative offices. Azerbaijan also had an authorized representative office at Paris Peace Conference under the leadership of Alimardan Topchubashov.[1]
After the Bolsheviks occupied Azerbaijan in April, 1920, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was abolished and was replaced by Azerbaijan SSR People's Foreign Affairs Commissariat (PFAC). People's Foreign Affairs Commissariat, despite having the relevant authority, implemented certain bilateral relations in foreign countries in 1920-1922, including Turkey, where Azerbaijan SSR had its own ambassador, Ibrahim Abilov. People's Foreign Affairs Commissioners of Azerbaijan were Nariman Narimanov and Mirza Davud Huseynov. But upon incorporation of Azerbaijan SSR into Transcaucasian SFSR PFAC was abolished.
Towards the end of World War II, in 1944, the Soviet government restored Azerbaijani PFAC. In 1946 PFAC was transformed into Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). But MFA still lacked relevant authority inside the Soviet Union. The last Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan SSR was Huseynaga Sadigov who led MFA also during seven months of independent Azerbaijan Republic.
After Azerbaijan gained its independence in 1991, MFA was transformed into a complex Cabinet-level agency, responsible for designing and conducting Azerbaijani foreign policy.
Mission
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is operated in accordance with the Azerbaijani constitution, legislation, regulations, decrees and the main missions are:[2]
Implementation of the foreign policy of Azerbaijan
Support for protection of international peace and security through the diplomatic way
Providing sovereignty, security, territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and its political, economic interests throughout the diplomatic way
Protection of rights and interests of Azerbaijanis and legal entities abroad
Ensuring diplomatic and consular relations of Azerbaijan with other states and international organizations
Providing the state protocol of Azerbaijan
Diplomatic support and coordination of international, political, economic, scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian relations of Azerbaijan and its separate state bodies
Secretariat of the UNESCO National Commission of Azerbaijan
Translation Section
Information Technologies Section
Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic - By decree of president Ilham Aliyev on 31 October 2005, the department was established in order to govern the foreign policy of Azerbaijan with the participation of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.[3]
Department of Finance Department of Administrative Affairs
Diplomacy Day
Day of the Diplomatic Service, also known as Diplomacy Day, is an official professional holiday in Azerbaijan. Since 2017, according to the Ilham Aliyev's order on the establishment of a professional holiday for employees of the diplomatic services of Azerbaijan, it is celebrated on July 9 each year.[4]
Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) was launched in 2006 in order to prepare global leaders and politicians. In 2014, by the decree of president, it was transformed into university.[5]
In order to increase its diplomatic missions abroad, Azerbaijani government in the middle of 2000 launched the related strategy. In 2018 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintained the following missions abroad:[6]
