Ilham Aliyev

Ilham Aliyev married Mehriban Aliyeva in Baku on 22 January 1983.

Ilham Aliyev received a PhD degree in history in 1985.

Azerbaijan claims that 613 Azerbaijanis were massacred by Armenian irregular forces and the 366th CIS regiment of the Soviet Union. However, Human Rights Watch claims that 200+ Azerbaijanis were massacred.

Azerbaijan, under the presidency of Aliyev, hosted several international sports events including the 2015 European Games, 4th Islamic Solidarity Games, 42nd Chess Olympiad, and the 2016 European Grand Prix, showcasing the country's ability to organize lavish international events.

Ilham Aliyev was elected as the deputy chair of the ruling party New Azerbaijan Party in 1999.

Ilham Aliyev was elected to the post of first deputy chair at the Second Congress of the New Azerbaijan Party in 2001.

Ilham Aliyev won the election with 76.84% of the votes, but the election was marred by fraud and abuse, as documented by Human Rights Watch and the Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe.

Ilham Aliyev became the president of Azerbaijan on 31 October 2003, succeeding his father, after a two-month term as prime minister and a presidential election defined by irregularities.

On 6 February 2004, Aliyev and Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, signed the Moscow Declaration, which stated principles of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia.

On 16 February 2005 Aliyev participated in the ceremony of opening the Year of Azerbaijan in Russia.

Ilham Aliyev was unanimously elected as the chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party at the third Congress of the Party.

On 29 June 2006, Ilham Aliyev and Dmitry Medvedev, former President of the Russian Federation, concluded a joint statement on the Caspian Sea.

Ilham Aliyev was re-elected in 2008 with 87% of the polls. The elections were reported to have taken place with no reported unrest and few minor electoral violations. Numerous reforms to the Electoral Code were highlighted, including inking of voters, more transparency of voter lists, and the prohibition of government interference in the election process.

In a constitutional referendum in 2009, term limits for the presidency were abolished. The opposition claimed this to be a violation of the Azerbaijani constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. European Commission said the step 'signalled a serious setback'.

According to Andrew Higgins in The Washington Post in 2010, Azerbaijanis with the same names as Ilham Aliyev's three children owned real estate in Dubai worth about $75 million, indicating the wealth of some members of the family.

In 2011, Ilham Aliyev and José Manuel Barroso concluded the Joint Declaration on the Southern Gas Corridor, a significant agreement for energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU.

In 2012, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project named Ilham Aliyev as the person of the year in organized crime and corruption, highlighting the allegations of corruption associated with his presidency.

In the 2013 presidential elections held on 9 October, Aliyev claimed victory with 85 percent of the vote, securing a third five-year term. The election results were accidentally released before the polls opened. Election observation delegations claimed to have observed a free, fair and transparent electoral process with no evidence of voter intimidation.

In December 2014, journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was detained on trumped-up charges. She later claimed that Aliyev's family controlled companies and assets worth billions of dollars in Azerbaijani banks.

On September 10, 2015, the European Parliament called for a thorough investigation of corruption allegations against Ilham Aliyev and his family members.

In December 2016, Aliyev clarified that he does not intend to reclaim the lands through military force in the immediate future, but expressed the belief that Azerbaijanis will return to all historic lands in the future.

On 10 January 2017 Ilham Aliyev announced 2017 as the year of Islamic Solidarity and allocated funds to organize the related events.

On 6 February 2017, Ilham Aliyev visited Brussels and signed the 'Partnership Priorities' between the EU and Azerbaijan, further enhancing their cooperation.

During 12–15 March 2017, Ilham Aliyev made an official visit to France, where he met with executive officials of international companies and discussed various matters related to their activities in Azerbaijan.

During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Ilham Aliyev demanded that French President Emmanuel Macron apologize for accusing Azerbaijan of using Syrian mercenaries, reflecting the tensions between the two countries.

On 8 August 2017, Transparency Azerbaijan announced that it had scaled back its operations in the capital city of Baku, because the government would not approve an extension of the funding as it comes from outside the country.

Ilham Aliyev was awarded the Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on July 12, 2018. This prestigious honor is a recognition of his significant contributions and achievements.

In 2019, Azerbaijan was elected chair of the Turkic Council and the Non-Aligned Movement for a three-year mandate during Ilham Aliyev's presidency.

During a speech, Aliyev directly referred to Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan by mockingly saying Nə oldu Paşinyan? ('What happened Pashinyan?'), which became an Internet meme in Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The Aliyev family has been implicated in enriching themselves through ties to state-run businesses, owning significant parts of major Azerbaijani banks, construction firms, and telecommunications firms, as well as partially owning the country's oil and gas industries. The 2021 Pandora Papers leaks revealed a vast offshore network used by the family to hide their wealth, including involvement in property deals in the UK worth more than £400m.

On August 22, 2022, Ilham Aliyev received the prestigious Order of the Golden Eagle from Kazakhstan. This recognition highlights his significant contributions and positive impact on the relationship between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Experts in genocide prevention stated that Azerbaijan's blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and sabotage of public infrastructure constitutes genocide according to the Genocide Convention.