Berkley Center

Ambassador Agshin Mehdiyev is the permanent observer for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the United Nations. From 2015 to 2016 Mehdiyev served as permanent observer for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the European Union. He was ambassador-at-large in Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2015 after heading the country's mission to the United Nations from 2006 to 2014. Mehdiyev was Azerbaijan's permanent representative to the Council of Europe from 2001 to 2006, having served in a variety of diplomatic positions since 1975. He is the author of, among Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe (2011). He is fluent in Azerbaijani, English, Arabic, Russian, and Turkish. Mehdiyev holds a graduate degree in oriental studies from Azerbaijan State University and a doctorate in the history of international relations from the Diplomatic Academy of the Soviet Union’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.