Arif Mammadov (ambassador)
{{Short description|Azerbaijani diplomat (born 1964)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Arif Mammadov
| native_name = Arif Məmmədov
| native_name_lang = az
| image = Arif Mammadov Ambassador of OIC to EU.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| office = Head of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the European Union
| term_start = 25 June 2013
| term_end = November 2015
| predecessor = Position established
| successor = Agshin Mehdiyev
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|09|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = Azerbaijan SSR
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party =
| residence =
| alma_mater = Center for Political and Diplomatic Studies, London, United Kingdom
Clingendael, Netherlands Institute of International Relations, Hague, Netherlands
Military Institute in Moscow (VKIMO), Russia
| spouse = Jamila Mammadova
| nationality = Azerbaijani
| children = son Jamal Mammadov and daughter Selin Mammadova
| footnotes =
}}
Arif Mammadov ({{langx|az|Arif Məmmədov}}; born 22 September 1964) is an Azerbaijani former diplomat and opposition activist.
Career
From March 1991 until June 1992, Mammadov served as a Senior Adviser at the Department of International Affairs at the City Council of Baku, Azerbaijan. In 1993 he joined the Department of State Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.{{cn|date=December 2024}} From 1994 to 1995, he was the 2nd Secretary at the Department of Europe, USA, and Canada.{{cn|date=December 2024}} In 1995, Arif Mammadov was appointed as the 2nd Secretary to the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Belgium. In 1998, he became the 1st Secretary and from 1999 to 2000 he held the position of the Counselor.{{cn|date=December 2024}}
From 2000 until 2006, Mammadov was the Head of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the European Union with an office in Brussels. At the same time, he was the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Belgium, Kingdom of Netherlands and Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg from 2004 to 2006.
From January 2007 to September 2012, Mammadov was the Head of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.{{cite web|url=http://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/politics/868639.html|title=Arif Mammadov - Ambassador to Council of Europe|date=14 December 2006|accessdate=22 September 2014}} During this appointment, he chaired a number of high level conferences organized by the Council of Europe and its member states. In 2008-2010 he was a Thematic Coordinator on Information Policy of the Council of Europe. He also was a Chair of the Rapporteur Group on Education, Culture, Sport, Youth, and Environment of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and from 2010 to 2012 a Member of the Governing Board of European Wergeland Center.{{cn|date=December 2024}} In 2011-2012, he was a co-chair of the Council of Europe Exchange on Religious Dimension of Intercultural Dialogue. From 2012 to 2013 he joined again the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan as the Head of the Department of Human Rights and Democracy.{{cn|date=December 2024}}
Since June 2013, he headed (as their first EU Ambassador) the Mission to the EU of the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).{{cite web|url=http://en.apa.az/news/195255|title=Azerbaijani Ambassador appointed as OIC Permanent Observer to the EU|date=24 June 2013|accessdate=22 September 2014|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010649/http://en.apa.az/news/195255|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/photo/photoByMediaGroup.cfm?sitelang=en&mgid=698 |title=Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)|date=5 November 2013|accessdate=22 September 2014}} As of 2019, he directed his efforts, first of all, to establishing strong political and economic relations with the European Union and cooperating in the field of human rights, humanitarian aid, inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, combating terrorism and islamophobia.http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/topic/?t_id=9345&ref=3731&lan=en&x_key=arif%20mammadov{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
In March 2015 Mammadov published a post about a fire in Baku which killed 15 people, "There is no nation that would stand that shame and injustice," he wrote on his Facebook page "Officials earn millions on our people's sufferings, and if they do not fear our people's anger, they must fear God's wrath!".{{Cite web|title=Дело постпреда ОИС в ЕС, азербайджанского дипломата Арифа Мамедова|url=http://mtv.re/mnw6hq|access-date=2021-03-06|website=Meydan.TV|language=az}} In response, the pro-government website Haqqin.az called Mammadov a "traitor" and suggested that Mammadov, along with a number of Azerbaijani diplomats who "liked" his Facebook post were involved in a conspiracy.{{Cite news|title=Diplomat Wanted After Azeri Criticism|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-diplomat-corruption-charges-facebook-criticism/27185331.html|access-date=2021-03-06|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=12 August 2015 |language=en}} Shortly after, the General Secretariat of the OIC recalled Mamedov from the post of OIC Permanent Representative to the EU.{{Cite web|date=2015-06-15|title=Ариф Мамедов отозван с должности посла ОИС при ЕС - ОБНОВЛЕНО|url=https://news.day.az/politics/588219.html|access-date=2021-03-06|website=Day.Az|language=ru}}{{better source needed|date=September 2021}} Five other diplomats who liked Mamedov's post were also fired from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.{{Cite web|title=The Disturbing Truth behind Azerbaijan's European Games|url=https://freedomhouse.org/article/disturbing-truth-behind-azerbaijans-european-games|access-date=2021-03-06|website=Freedom House|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Turan|date=1 July 2017|title=У этой политической системы нет будущего — Ариф Мамедов|url=http://turan.az/ext/news/2017/7/free/Interview/ru/63642.htm/001|access-date=2021-03-06|website=turan.az|language=en}}
In August 2015 the National Central Bureau of Interpol in the Republic of Azerbaijan issued an international warrant for Mammadov's arrest on corruption charges.{{Cite web|title=Экс-посол Ариф Мамедов объявлен в международный розыск|url=https://1news.az/news/20150812042659364-Eks-posol-Arif-Mamedov-obyavlen-v-mezhdunarodnyi-rozysk|access-date=2021-03-06|website=1news.az|language=ru}}{{Cite web|last=REGNUM|date=12 August 2015|title=Бывший азербайджанский дипломат объявлен в международный розыск|url=https://regnum.ru/news/polit/1951475.html|access-date=2021-03-06|website=regnum.ru}}
In 2017, Mammadov gave an interview to The Guardian about corruption among members of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Council of Europe. According to Mammadov, they spent over 30 million euros on lobbying in the Council of Europe institutions, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).{{Cite web|date=2017-04-20|title=Fresh claims of Azerbaijan vote-rigging at European human rights body|url=http://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/apr/20/council-of-europe-urged-to-investigate-azerbaijan-bribery-allegations|access-date=2021-03-06|website=the Guardian|language=en}} In 2018, Mammadov became a key witness in the investigation of allegations of corruption in PACE{{Cite web|last=Independent investigation body on the allegations of corruption within the Parliamentary Assembly|date=15 April 2018|title=REPORT of the Independent Investigation Body on the allegations of corruption within the Parliamentary Assembly|url=http://assembly.coe.int/Communication/IBAC/IBAC-GIAC-Report-EN.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=6 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423035154/http://assembly.coe.int/Communication/IBAC/IBAC-GIAC-Report-EN.pdf |archive-date=2018-04-23 }} in the aftermath of the "Caviar Diplomacy" report by the European Stability Initiative.{{Cite web|title=Caviar Diplomacy - How Azerbaijan silenced the Council of Europe {{!}} ESI|url=https://esiweb.org/publications/caviar-diplomacy-how-azerbaijan-silenced-council-europe|access-date=2021-03-07|website=esiweb.org}} He was also present at the trial of the Italian MP Luca Volontè [it; fr], in the Italian court. According to Mammadov, Volonte's lawyers were financed by Azerbaijan.{{Cite web|last=Turan|title=Lawyers of Luke Volonte funded from Baku - ex-ambassador of Azerbaijan to CE|url=http://www.turan.az/ext/news/2020/2/free/Interview/en/87025.htm/001|access-date=2021-03-06|website=www.turan.az|language=en}}
In May 2020, Mammadov became a co-founder of the Azerbaijani civil platform "BIZ"{{Cite web|title=BİZ выходит на авансцену|url=https://www.turan.az/ext/news/2020/5/free/Interview/ru/124212.htm/001|access-date=2021-03-06|website=www.turan.az|language=ru}}{{Cite web|title=Qubad İbadoğlu: Höküməti cavabdeh etmək üçün platforma yaratdıq|url=https://www.amerikaninsesi.org/a/höküməti-hesabatlı-və-cavabdeh-etmək-üçün-bir-platforma-yaratdıq-/5426599.html|access-date=2021-03-06|website=VOA|date=19 May 2020 |language=az}} he is also the co-chair of the AND (Democracy for Azerbaijan movement).{{Cite web|last=Benakis|first=Theodoros|date=2018-03-09|title=Amb. Arif Mammadov: "Azerbaijan is on the brink of social explosion"|url=https://www.europeaninterest.eu/article/amb-arif-mammadof-azerbaijan-brink-social-explosion/|access-date=2021-03-06|website=European Interest|language=en-US}}
Other
From 2008 to 2012, Mammadov was a member of the Governing Board of the Oslo-based [http://www.theewc.org/ European Wergeland Centre],{{cite web|url=http://www.theewc.org/content/about.ewc/governing.board/ |title=List of former Board Members between 2008-2012 |accessdate=22 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826220623/http://www.theewc.org/content/about.ewc/governing.board/ |archivedate=26 August 2014 }} a European resource centre on education for intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship. He advocates for active youth involvement in international affairs, thus initiating a number of projects for youth.{{cn|date=December 2024}}