Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on Tuesday chaired a meeting in an expanded format with the participation of deputy foreign ministers, board members, ambassadors at large, heads of departments and structural divisions.

Minister Mammadyarov introduced to the staff Ramiz Hasanov, who was appointed deputy minister of Azerbaijan by the order of President Ilham Aliyev, and wished him success in his activity, the Foreign Ministry told Axar.az.

Azerbaijan, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, pursues an independent, balanced and diversified foreign policy, Mammadyarov emphasized. The minister also spoke about the tasks assigned to the Foreign Ministry by the head of state.

It was noted that 2019 will mark the 100th anniversary of establishment of the diplomatic service in Azerbaijan.

The newly-appointed deputy foreign minister, Ramiz Hasanov, graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Hasanov earlier served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Georgia, as well as Chairman of the State Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Patents of the Republic of Azerbaijan.