By a decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on September 4, Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Bulgaria, Huseyn Huseynov, has been recalled. He was appointed to this position in 2021. Currently, no one has been appointed in Huseyn Huseynov's place.
Diplomatic missions without an ambassador are not limited to Bulgaria. In a number of important countries, Azerbaijan has been operating without an ambassador for a long time, and the representations are managed by chargés d'affaires.
Modern.az has conducted an investigation into embassies operating without an ambassador.
It should be noted that currently, Azerbaijan operates more than 70 embassies, 5 permanent missions, 1 representative office in Palestine, and 15 consulates.
One of the countries where the ambassadorial post remains vacant is Iraq. Azerbaijan's last ambassador to this country was Nasir Mammadov. He was recalled from his post last year, and no one has been appointed in his place. The diplomat, who served as ambassador for only 1 year, had previously worked in various positions at the same embassy.
There are also notable nuances in the Middle East, especially concerning relations with Syria. Azerbaijan had closed its embassy in Damascus due to the civil war but reopened it in February after a 13-year hiatus. However, an ambassador has not yet been appointed; Azerbaijan's last ambassador to this country was Mahir Aliyev, and currently, the country is represented by Chargé d'affaires Elnur Shahhuseynov. He has worked in various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2002.
In addition, our embassy in Libya ceased its activities in 2014 due to the civil war. Our last ambassador to this country was Agasalim Shukurov. He passed away in 2023.
In Canada, the situation is more dramatic – the last ambassador was Farid Shafiyev, and he was recalled in 2014. Currently, Farid Shafiyev is the Chairman of the Board of the Center of Analysis of International Relations. For more than 10 years, Azerbaijan has been represented in Canada by a Chargé d'affaires.
Azerbaijan's last ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, Elkhan Polukhov, left his post in 2016. Since that year, the embassy in Pretoria has remained vacant. Elkhan Polukhov is currently the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Egypt.
The same situation exists for the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. The last ambassador here was Rovshan Jamshidov, and no ambassadorial appointment has been made since 2016.
Elnur Amirov
