At a time when the strategic partnership between Great Britain and Azerbaijan is developing, London's appointment of a new ambassador to Baku is one of the notable events in diplomatic circles. Duncan Norman, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain to Azerbaijan, has already presented his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev.
Modern.az presents the dossier of the new ambassador:
Duncan Charles Norman was born on October 12, 1971, in Chertsey, Surrey, Great Britain. He studied at Ryde School on the Isle of Wight from 1979–1989.
Duncan Norman is one of Great Britain's diplomats with extensive diplomatic experience. He began his career in 1990 at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of Great Britain. In the early years of his diplomatic career, from 1990–1993, he worked as a desk officer in the FCO's Joint Assistance Unit and Finance Department. In 1994, he served as a research officer for Albania and Slovenia, and later as Vice-Consul in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The South Caucasus also holds a special place in Norman's diplomatic activities. From 1998–2000, he served as Deputy Head of the British diplomatic mission in Yerevan. Later, from 2000–2003, he worked as a diplomatic officer, and then as head of the Gulf section of the FCO's Middle East Department.
From 2004–2006, Norman was Head of the Governor's Office in Tortola, from 2006–2007, First Secretary in Dhaka, and from 2007–2010, Deputy High Commissioner of Great Britain. From 2010–2013, he headed the Human Resources Services Section of the FCO's Human Resources Department.
In 2013, the diplomat served as a senior event manager in the G8 Presidency Unit of the UK Cabinet Office, and from that year until 2016, he was head of the FCO's Afghanistan section.
One of Duncan Norman's highest positions in his diplomatic career was the post of ambassador to Albania. He served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain to Albania from 2016 until August 2021.
Since 2026, Duncan Norman has been the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is not Duncan Norman's first South Caucasus assignment in his diplomatic career. From 1998–2000, he served as Deputy Head of the British diplomatic mission in Yerevan.
The diplomat later served in various capacities, including those related to the Middle East, South Asia, and the Balkans. His career also includes significant work related to Afghanistan and the Gulf region.
One of Norman's most important positions in his diplomatic career was the post of ambassador to Albania. He served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain to Albania from 2016 until August 2021.
During this period, his activities covered various aspects of UK-Albania relations, including political and security issues.
After arriving in Azerbaijan as the new ambassador, Duncan Norman presented his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev today.
The ambassador also expressed his attitude towards our country by speaking in Azerbaijani at the ceremony. He stated that when he and his wife first came to Azerbaijan 27 years ago, they were deeply impressed by the kindness of the people and the great potential of Baku.
Norman stated that it is an honor for him to continue working on a new strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Great Britain.
The ambassador emphasized their interest in developing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of renewable energy, defense, aviation, and education. He also noted that President Ilham Aliyev's efforts towards establishing peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia are appreciated by the British government.
Duncan Norman also touched upon Azerbaijan's mine clearance efforts, recalling that Great Britain was the first international partner to support our country in this direction.
