I will try to serve Azerbaijan decently,” said first Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva at a meeting of the Security Council under the chairmanship of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Tuesday’s appointment of Mehriban Aliyeva follows constitutional changes made after a tightly-managed referendum last year that introduced the powerful position of first vice president, the second most senior official in the country. Aliyeva also serves as a member of parliament, as UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill Ambassador and as president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, a charity named after her father-in-law and former ruler of the country.
Azerbaijani First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who is widely considered to be in line to succeed her husband, is named vice president.