Najmeddin Sadikov

Najmeddin Huseyn oghlu Sadikov (Azerbaijani: Nəcməddin Hüseyn oğlu Sadıkov; born 24 May 1956) is an Azerbaijani Colonel General who served as the Chief of the General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan. He was appointed to both positions on 2 November 1993 by President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev.[1][4] On 28 January 2021 it was announced that he is no longer serving as the chief of staff,[2] and Karim Valiyev took his position on 23 July of that year.[5]

Najmeddin Sadikov
Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces
In office
2 November 1993[1] – 28 January 2021[2]
PresidentHeydar Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Preceded byNuraddin Sadigov[3]
Safar Abiyev (acting)
Succeeded byKarim Valiyev
Personal details
Born (1956-05-24) 24 May 1956
Derbent, Dagestan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Military service
Branch/service Soviet Army
Azerbaijani Armed Forces
Years of service1975-2021
Rank Colonel General
Battles/warsFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War;
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

Early life

Sadikov was born in the city of Derbent to an ethnic Azerbaijani family. He had a brother who died in the 1980s.[6] After 1991, he moved to Azerbaijan with his family. He is married and has three children[7][8] Sadikov's nephew, Ramil Asgarov, is another senior military official, who has been major general until June 2020.[9]

Soviet Armed Forces

Sadikov joined the Soviet Armed Forces in 1975. He graduated from the Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School in 1979 and earned the gold medal. He served as a platoon commander, a company commander, a battalion commander and regiment deputy commander in the Soviet Army from 1979 to 1992.[10] He graduated from the Frunze Military Academy in Moscow in 1988, and in 1991 completed the Senior Officer Courses "Vystrel" ("Shot") named after Marshal of the Soviet Union Boris Shaposhnikov.

Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Sadikov joined the newly formed Azerbaijani Army on 1 February 1992. After its creation, he became the first commander of the 1st Army Corps.[11] He led the corps during the failed Battle of Kalbajar.[12] On 2 November 1993, he was appointed as Chief of the General Staff. Up until his dismissal, he was the longest serving chief of defence in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Sadikov was a member of the Commission on National Security Policies which prepares and develops documents on national security concepts, foreign policy strategies and military doctrines of Azerbaijan.[13] By the presidential decree No. 858 from 24 June 2005 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel General.[14]

Criticism

Sadikov's critics allege that he, despite being ethnically Azerbaijani, does not speak Azerbaijani language because he was born in Dagestan, and therefore all documents on his desk are first translated from Azerbaijani into Russian by special services.[12] In early October 2020, Azerbaijani press circles spread rumors on the arrest of Sadikov, who was accused of treason. Investigators claimed that he was recruited by the Russian special services through a nephew in Russia. Later, this information was refuted, and the media reported that Sadikov was sidelined at the beginning of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war due to his dissatisfaction with the widespread presence of the Turkish Armed Forces in the administrative level of the Azerbaijani military.[15]

He has also been accused of having a good relationship with Armenian officials, with many pointing to a photo of Sadikov and Armenian general Mikael Harutyunyan laughing at a NATO summit in 2008 as a reason to be distrustful of Sadikov.[16]

Protests against Sadikov

During the July 2020 Azerbaijani protests, the protesters chanted slogans "Najmaddin resign".[17] The demonstrators demanded his resignation due to him being suspected of acting as a sleeper agent for the Armenian Army, in which he allegedly leaked the coordinates of General Polad Hashimov during skirmishes that month.[18][19] Sadikov served as a pallbearer at his funeral.[20]

Dismissal and missing

During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War Sadikov disappeared and has not been seen since. Agil Abbas, deputy of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, believed that Sadikov was placed under house arrest. Official information has not been published. Fuad Shahbaz, a Baku-based political and military analyst, said that "the state wants a quiet solution to this and for people to forget about it".[21][22]

On 28 January 2021, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry confirmed the dismissal of Sadikov, saying that he no longer serves in the Azerbaijani army.[23] It was earlier reported that he had serious health problems and underwent open-heart surgery in Moscow.[24] Later, his name was removed from the official website of the ministry.[25]

Awards

Sadikov has received multiple awards, among them:

See also

References
  1. "N. H. Sadıqov haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN SƏRƏNCAMI" [Decree of President of Azerbaijan on appointment of N.H. Sadigov]. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  2. "Müdafiə Nazirliyi: Nəcməddin Sadıkov hazırda hərbi xidmətdə deyil - EKSKLÜZİV". Apa.az. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  3. Azer Isgandarov (22 December 2009). "Скончался бывший начальник генштаба ВС Азербайджана" [Former Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijan died]. ANS. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  4. "Azerbaijan air force head killed". BBC. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  5. "General-leytenant Kərim Vəliyev Azərbaycan Ordusunun Baş Qərargah rəisi təyin edilib - SƏRƏNCAM - VİDEO - YENİLƏNİB". Apa.az. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  6. "MN: Nəcməddin Sadıkov hazırda xidmət yerindədir və vəzifələrini icra edir".
  7. "SADIKOV DEĞİL, "HAİNOV" - ASSAM - Adaleti Savunanlar Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi Derneği". assam.org.tr. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  8. "Фатима Садыкова".
  9. "2287 - R.Ə.Əsgərovun Azərbaycan Respublikası Müdafiə Nazirliyinin Xüsusi Təhlükəsizlik Baş İdarəsinin rəisi vəzifəsindən azad edilməsi haqqında".
  10. "Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan".
  11. "Tərtərdə N nömrəli hərbi hissənin yaradılmasının 26 illiyi qeyd edilib". AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI MÜDAFİƏ NAZİRLİYİ (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  12. "Qələbə üçün ilk zərurət – Nəcməddin Sadıkov yerinə hansı fərarini gətirir?". Azadliq (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  13. "Azərbaycan Respublikasının milli təhlükəsizlik siyasəti sahəsində İşçi Qrupunun yaradılması haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN SƏRƏNCAMI" [Decree of President of Azerbaijan on establishment of Working Group for National Security Issues]. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  14. "Azərbaycan Respublikası Silahlı Qüvvələrinin hərbi qulluqçularına ali hərbi rütbələrin verilməsi haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN SƏRƏNCAMI" [Decree of President of Azerbaijan on conferring servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces]. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  15. "Aliyev dismisses defense minister at the request of Turkey – WarGonzo". armenpress.am. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  16. "General Sadiqov Və Erməni̇ General".
  17. "Pro-war Azerbaijani protesters break into parliament | Eurasianet". Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  18. "Yüksək rütbəli zabitlərimizin ölümü qəzəb doğurdu - Nəcməddin Sadıqov dərhal kənarlaşdırılsın" [The death of our high-ranking officers angered - Najmaddin Sadigov should be removed immediately]. Aqreqator.az (in Azerbaijani). 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  19. "Nəcməddin Sadıqovun kənarlaşdırılması tələbi artır, yerinə namizəd də var" [The demand to remove Najmaddin Sadigov is growing, and there is a candidate to replace him]. Baxar.az (in Azerbaijani). 19 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  20. "A farewell ceremony was held with our martyred officers VIDEO". Azerbaijan State News Agency. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  21. The mystery of Azerbaijan’s missing army chief. Eurasianet. 3 March 2021
  22. Azerbaijan: Armenian Prisoners of War Badly Mistreated. Human Rights Watch. 2 December 2020
  23. Media.Az. "Кто исполняет обязанности Наджмеддина Садыкова?". media.az (in Russian). Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  24. "Наджмеддин Садыков больше не состоит на военной службе - заявление Минобороны". Day.Az (in Russian). 28 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  25. APA.az (28 January 2021). "Azerbaijani MoD: Najmeddin Sadikov is not currently in military service - EXCLUSIVE". apa.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  26. "Azərbaycan Respublikası Müdafiə Nazirliyinin hərbi qulluqcularının təltif edilməsi haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN FƏRMANI" [Order of President of Azerbaijan on awarding servicemen of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic]. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  27. "Azərbaycan Respublikası Müdafiə Nazirliyinin hərbi qulluqcularının təltif edilməsi haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN SƏRƏNCAMI" [Decree of President of Azerbaijan on awarding servicemen of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic]. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  28. "Azərbaycan Respublikası Müdafiə Nazirliyinin hərbi qulluqcularının təltif edilməsi haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN SƏRƏNCAMI" [Decree of President of Azerbaijan on awarding servicemen of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic]. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  29. "Prezident Zakir Həsənov və Nəcməddin Sadıkovu mükafatlandırdı". YouTube.
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