Azerbaijan’s energy minister dies due to heart problems

Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Natiq Aliyev died in a Turkish hospital last week after experiencing heart problems. 

The Azerbaijani authorities said last week that Aliyev died several days after being transferred to the Florence Nightingale Clinic in Istanbul where he was being treated.

Initially, he was admitted to the Central Hospital for Oil Workers in Baku due to heart problems he had experienced in early June.

Aliyev was born in Baku on November 23, 1947. The late Energy Minister of the oil-rich country had a long-standing career in the energy sector which began once he was employed by Azerdenizneftkeshfiyyat in 1970.

One of his most notable positions was the role of president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). He took over the position in 1993 and held it until 2005.

He transitioned to public office after leaving SOCAR and became the Minister of Industry and Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Aliyev took the office of the Azerbaijan Energy Minister in 2013 after leaving his previous role.

Aliyev represented Azerbaijan in its negotiations with foreign companies over major energy contracts and took part in talks with OPEC members on global oil production cuts.

The commemoration ceremony and burial was held on June 10.

Regardless of sharing the same last name as the current Azerbaijan President Ilhan Aliyev, the late Energy Minister has no family relation with the President.