An event was held at the Press Council (PC) to mark the 65th anniversary of Umud Mirzayev, President of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), Honored Cultural Worker, well-known public figure, journalist, and poet-publicist.
According to EDnews, the event was attended by the Chairman of the Press Council and members of its Board, Members of Parliament Hikmet Babaoglu, Elchin Mirzabeyli, Vugar Rahimzadeh, Azer Allahveranov, Chairman of the Board of the Karabakh Revival Fund Rahman Hajiyev, Deputy Executive Director of the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan Natiq Mammadli, Advisor to the Minister of Culture Orkhan Fikratoglu, Press Counselor of the Turkish Embassy Cahangir Ishbilir, Professor Cahangir Mammadli, as well as other well-known representatives of the media and public.
As part of the event, the presentation of the book titled “An Unrequited Mission”, written by writer and journalist Gulshan Behbud and dedicated to the life, work, and 65th anniversary of Umud Mirzayev, took place.
Speakers spoke about the jubilarian Umud Mirzayev’s many years of journalistic activity, his international humanitarian initiatives, and his contributions to the development of Azerbaijan’s media and civil society. It was noted that the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), led by Umud Mirzayev, carried out significant work during the First and Second Karabakh Wars to convey Azerbaijan’s just position to the international community. Special emphasis was placed on the fact that a large part of his activities has been devoted to the Karabakh issue.
It should be noted that Umud Rahim oglu Mirzayev was born on February 1, 1961, in the village of Ashaghi Abdurrahmanli, Fuzuli district of the Republic of Azerbaijan. From 1982 to 1987, he studied at the Poetry Department of the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. In 1988, he began his professional career at the newspaper “Literature and Art”, the official press organ of the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union. From 1989 to 1993, he headed the newspaper’s “Science, Publicism, and Letters” department.
He is the founder and president of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), established in 1992, which today holds the highest consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. His poems and publicistic writings have been published in local and national periodicals and have also been disseminated in various countries in Russian, English, and Turkish.
From 2012 to 2016, Umud Mirzayev was a member of the Board of Directors of the International Press Institute (IPI), which brings together leading media organizations worldwide. From 2013 to 2016, he was a member of the Governing Council of the International Peace Bureau, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate organization, and served as its representative for 18 West Asian countries.
Between 2009 and 2016, he chaired the Supervisory Board of the State Support Fund for the Development of Mass Media under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. From 2010 to 2022, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council. Currently, he is a member of the Board of the Azerbaijan Press Council, a member of the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union, and Chairman of the Public Council under the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA).
Umud Mirzayev is an Honored cultural worker. He is married and has three children.
