PRESS RELEASE
BAKU/LJUBLJANA, 30 October 2012 - During their visit to Azerbaijan, the delegation of the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) led by Vice-President of IFIMES Advisory Board and former Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Zoran Živković accompanied by IFIMES directors Zijad Bećirović and Bakhatyar Aljaf presented a special award of the Institute to Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov. The presentation of the award was also attended by the ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Azerbaijan Dr. Milan Jazbec.
At the award ceremony Mr. Živković delivered a laudatory speech, explaining the reasons for presenting the award for "Positive personality in the field of foreign policy for the year 2011" to Minister Mammadyarov. Among other he stressed that: "Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov has held the office of the Foreign Minister for several years. Prior to this position he was a career diplomat, serving as the Republic of Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Italy. Mr. Mammadyarov has had a distinguished and successful career, which is mostly the result of his personal characteristics. His openness and positive energy are of vital importance in the demanding and complicated modern world where the interests of large and small countries interlace, which requires their representatives to look for a consensus, to be determined and persuasive in dialogues and debates and to remain always open for new ideas and initiatives. All this personal traits were especially visible in 2011 when Minister Mammadyrov played the key role in the selection of his country as the 2012-2013 non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. He maintained his positive approach throughout the demanding and highly competitive campaign, with unwavering commitment to look for support for his country which he eventually received. Thus, the foreign policy conceived by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dr. Ilham Aliyev has been implemented in the best possible way and recognised not only in the region but also on the international scene."
Minister Mammadyarov thanked for the high recognition, stressing that the award represents and additional commitment to further increase his efforts in the fields of foreign policy, regional cooperation and international relations, especially now that Azerbaijan has become the non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Vice-President of IFIMES Advisory Board Živković and other members of the delegation laid a wreath at the grave of former President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev.
Baku/Ljubljana, October 30, 2012
