Tale Heydarov

Tale Heydarov
Personal details
Born (1985-02-09) 9 February 1985
Nationality Azerbaijani
Occupation Founder of media, science, education and arts organisations

Tale Heydarov (Azerbaijani: Tale Heydərov; born 9 February 1985) is the founder and chairman of The European Azerbaijan Society (2008), president of the Qabala sports club, founder of media, science, education and arts organisations, publisher and editor of books and initiator of projects on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Early life

Education

2001-2003 - Collingham College, London

2003-2006 - London School of Economics, International Relations and History

2006-2008 – Birkbeck, University of London, Master’s degree in International Security and Global Governance

Career

The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS)

TEAS was launched in November 2008, having initially been established by Tale Heydarov as the London Azerbaijan Society in 2006. He is the chairman of TEAS, with offices in London, Baku, Brussels, Paris, Berlin and Istanbul[1] whose aim is to raise awareness of Azerbaijan around the world and foster closer business, political and cultural links between European countries.[2]

TEAS is active in public diplomacy, culture and charity work and its Business Forums[3] highlight investment opportunities in Azerbaijan.

Concerts, exhibitions, book launches and other events are regular features of TEAS cultural initiatives throughout Europe. Heydarov focuses TEAS’s activities on business, public affairs, culture and charitable work.[4]

Charity work has included support for the African Development Foundation’s work to provide drinking water, food and medical equipment to people starving in Somalia. In 2014 boxing tournament at Repton Boxing Club raised money for the Mo Farah Foundation and awareness of the million Azerbaijani IDPS displaced by Armenia’s invasion of Azerbaijani territories. The event attracted former world heavyweight champion Frank Bruno and former England footballers Joe Cole, Gary Mabbutt MBE and Nigel Winterburn.[5] There is also a Scholarship Programme to support talented children at the European Azerbaijan School.[6]

In 2013 TEAS founded the Academic Centre for Azerbaijani Studies (TACAS) to research all aspects of Azerbaijani heritage - its science, history and culture - and to promote high level international exchange between researchers. A symposium held jointly with the French Yahad-In Unum organization discussed Azerbaijan’s contribution to victory in World War II and its role as a refuge for Jews fleeing the Holocaust.

TACAS has researched and compiled documents and materials on Azerbaijani history from Turkish, British and Russian archives and prepared them for publication.

Qabala Sports Club

Tale Heydarov has been president of Qabala Football Club since 2005; from this he established the Qabala Sports Club in 2013.

The football team plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League; from 2010-2011 it was managed by head coach Tony Adams - the legendary former captain of both Arsenal and England. In 2013-2014, and again in 2014-2015, the team came third in the Premier League, thus qualifying for the Europe League.[7]

Qabala Sports Club has a modern, fully equipped centre, with a 3,500-seat stadium, 5 full-size natural, 1 and 2 full-size artificial training pitches and 1 sand pitch.[8]

In 2009 the club that established the first football academy in Azerbaijan, with this step, took the mission to strengthen the Azerbaijan national team and Qabala by developing the talent among young local footballers .

The first and advanced training centre among such organizations in Azerbaijan Qabala Football Academy teams participate in country chempionship of young players and cup competitions held by Azerbaijan Foutball Federations Associations successfully. The academy teams are always among the winners and Qabala players feature in the juvenile and youth national teams.

Media work

Heydarov founded the Visions of Azerbaijan English language journal in 2006 and has been Editor-in-Chief since then.[9] The journal, published every two months, introduces Azerbaijani history, culture and environment, as well as international relations, business and tourism. At the same time, there are regular updates on the search for a solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Education, publishing and other initiatives

Heydarov speaks Azerbaijani, English, Russian and Turkish.

The European Azerbaijan School (EAS)

He founded the private European Azerbaijan School in Baku in 2011 and is president of the school’s board of trustees.[10] The school strives to bring the achievements of modern education to Azerbaijan; its staff of international and domestic teachers working hard together to provide the best educational environment for students.

Special scholarship programmes and special discounts for students from under-privileged families are applied in the school.

EAS is a member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and a candidate-school for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) since September 2014

The Azerbaijan Teacher Development Centre

The Azerbaijan Teacher Development Centre opened in 2014 to assist the development of innovative and progressive education in Azerbaijan. In February 2015 the Centre organised ECIS International Teacher Certificate Programme courses with The European Council of International Schools for the first time in Azerbaijan.[11]

TEAS Press

Heydarov founded TEAS Press publishing in Baku in 2014 and it now also has offices in Russia and Turkey.[12] It collaborates with international publishers and translates internationally recognised academic works into Azerbaijani. And to introduce the scientific and literary achievements of Azerbaijani writers to the wider world, it translates and publishes their works in English; audio-books are also produced.

In November 2014, the renowned children’s writer Mo Willems joined the launch of Üç Alma (Three Apples) the children’s literature imprint which now publishes, in Azerbaijani, well-known books from publishers like Andersen Press, Capstone Global Library, Hyperion Press, Clavis, Seven Guns and others.[13]

Azerbaijan International Film Company (AIFC)

Founded in 2012, AIFC is equipped with skilled professional staff and with Heydarov as executive producer has made Young Voices, Ancient Song, following the path of young IDP mugham singers; Azerbaijan Through Foreign Eyes, the story of independence since 1991 and The Life Story of Ivonna Botto-Shirmammedova, the remarkable story of a Frenchwoman’s marriage to an Azerbaijani Resistance fighter, and her subsequent life in rural Azerbaijan.

Family

Heydarov is the son of Kamaladdin Heydarov, the Minister of Emergency Situations in Azerbaijan. Tale is married, with one daughter and one son. The Heydarov family acquired massive wealth through corruption schemes. This sort of disregard for the general well-being of Azerbaijanis reflects the attitude of Ilham Aliyev's government and explains why so many Azerbaijanis continue to live in poverty and without social services despite years of high oil revenues and explosive wealth accumulation by the Heydarovs, Aliyevs, and other senior government officials.[14]

Awards

On 4 July 2011 President Ilham Aliyev awarded Tale Heydarov the Progress Medal for his contribution to the development of the Azerbaijan diaspora.[15] He was also presented with the International Dialogue of the Year prize by the Business Year Magazine in May 2014.[16]

Projects, publications

In Azerbaijani

- Qafqazda “erməni məsələsi”. Rusiya arxiv sənədləri və nəşrləri üzrə. Üç cilddə. Bakı, 2011

- Liam Foks. Şahə qalxan dalğalar. Yeni qlobal reallıqla qarşılaşarkən. Bakı, 2014

In English

-International visions: The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Karabakh. From history to Future Prospects of Peace. Baku, 2007

-Azerbaijan: 100 Questions Answered. Baku, 2008

-Ordubadi M.S. Years of Blood. A History of the Armenian-Muslim Clashes in the Caucausus, 1905-1906. London, 2010

-The Armenian Question in the Caucasus. Russian archive documents and publications. vol. 1-3. London, 2012

-Khojaly: Witness of a War Crime. Armenia in the Dock. London, 2014

In Russian

- Азербайджан: 100 вопросов и ответов. Баку, 2008

- «Армянский вопрос» на Кавказе. По материалам российских архивов и изданий. В трех томах. СПб., 2011

- Ордубади М.С. Кровавые годы. История армяно-мусульманской войны на Кавказе в 1905-1906 годах. СПб., 2010

- Карабах: История в контексте конфликта. СПб., 2014

- Ходжалы: Очевидцы - О Военных Преступлениях Суд над Арменией, СПб., 2015

References

  1. ↑ "TEAS - Offices".
  2. ↑ "TEAS - About Us".
  3. ↑ "TEAS - Business Forum".
  4. ↑ "TEAS - Culture".
  5. ↑ "TEAS - Past Events".
  6. ↑ "TEAS - Azerbaijan School".
  7. ↑ "Gabala Sports Club - History".
  8. ↑ "Gunner Calls the Shots in Qabala".
  9. ↑ "Visions of Azerbaijan".
  10. ↑ "TEAS - Azerbaijan School".
  11. ↑ "Exceptional Teachers for Azerbaijan Teachers Academy".
  12. ↑ "teaspress.az".
  13. ↑ "3alma.az/lang,en/".
  14. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8299344/WikiLeaks-William-Harry-and-the-Abramovich-of-Azerbaijan.html
  15. ↑ "A group of Azerbaijani Diaspora in the development of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on awarding".
  16. ↑ "Presentation and awarding ceremony of "The Business Year: Azerbaijan-2014" edition held in Baku".
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