Eldar Mahmudov

Eldar Mahmudov Ahmad oglu (Eldar Mahmudov Əhməd oğlu) is an Azerbaijani politician serving as the Minister of National Security of Azerbaijan Republic.

Early life
Mahmudov was born in Baku in 1956 to the family of a scientist. He graduated from the Bunyadzadeh Institute of Economy in 1978 (B.A. in Finance) and Baku State University in 1993 (B.A. in Law). He holds the military rank of Lieutenant General as of March 16, 2005. Eldar Mahmudov is married and has three children.

Career
In 1980-2004 Mahmudov worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan Republic. His duties included preventing organized crime and criminal investigation. In 1993, Mahmudov was appointed the Branch Chief of the Drugs Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Interior, afterwards promoted to the position of the deputy chief of the same department. In 1993-2003, Mahmudov was Chief of the Economic Crimes Department and the Operative Economic Coordination Bureau. In the beginning of 2004, he was appointed Chief of the Anti-Drugs Department.

Mahmudov frequently represented Azerbaijan at different conferences and seminars dedicated to the issues of war on terrorism, corruption, human trafficking, illegal drugs trade held in different countries within the framework of the influential international organizations. He participated in production of numerous international law documents, including the United Nations Convention against Corruption. On July 24, 2004 he was appointed the Minister of National Security by President Ilham Aliyev.

Awards
Mahmudov has been awarded with Azerbaijani Flag Order for preservation of social order, keeping stability intact and fight against criminal activity.