Ilkham Ragimov: “Putin’s visits to Baku as a student promoted the formation of a positive attitude towards Azerbaijanis”.

Ilkham Ragimov – an authoritative Russian businessman and skilled
legal advisor – was born in the village of Jilovdarly in Azerbaijan’s
Tovuzskiy region. He graduated from Leningrad State University, with a
postgraduate diploma from the criminal law department. He defended his
Ph. D thesis aged 36 at Leningrad State University, becoming a young
Doctor of criminal science, and member of the Russian Academy of
Security, Defence and Law. Ilkham Ragimov is the second Azerbaijani to
receive this academician title and the first to be awarded Peter the
Great’s Order second degree of the Russian Academy of Security,
Defence and Law, for his personal contribution to the development of
friendly relations and cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan. He
is the first author of the concept of reforming the judicial system
and the state program against crime. He is an honorary member of the
Council of Directors of the International Fund of Cooperation and
Partnership of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. He was awarded a
diploma and a medal from the International Fund for his contribution
to rapprochement of peoples and religions and for developing civil
society, the first Azerbaijani to receive one.

Ilkham started his career in the Institute of Philosophy and Law of
the Azerbaijani Science Academy, then he worked as the head of an
office in the Ministry of Justice, then he headed the Department of
Legislature in the ministry and was a board member. He was developing
projects and presenting conclusions on regulatory documents. Then he
headed a science research institute on forensic examination, forensic
science and criminology, and taught law at various education centers.
He also worked as a prorector of the science branch at the High
Diplomatic College. In 2000-2007 Vagita Alekperov invited him to work
at oil company Lukoil.

Today Ragimov is vice-president of the International Union of Lawyers
and president of the Azerbaijani federation of Sindo-riu karate-do,
and a co-owner of the largest trade-recreation and hotel complexes of
Moscow: Evropeyskiy, Grand, Moskva, Radisson-Slavianskaya,
Radisson-Ukraina-and other large commercial projects.
Ilkham Ragimov was a course-mate of Russian Premier Vladimir Putin. He
does not like to talk about his personal relations with Putin, if he
had not mentioned Ragimov as a friend we would have probably never
have known about it.

Ilkham Ragimov told AzerTag that he was in a class of 100 students in
his law department. He still has friendly relations with many of them:
“My course-mates often visit Baku, I am a common guest in St.
Petersburg myself. I have been staying in contact for 40 years now.
After studying, when I was working in Baku, my course-mates visited
me, including Vladimir Putin. It was long before my ascent to the
‘political Olympus’. He was a common student, no one could imagine his
future. It was not just the studies that brought us together, we had
interests in sports. I was a prize-winner among juniors in free-style
wrestling and Vladimir Putin was into judo and sambo. I meet my
course-mates every year. This year we plan to celebrate the 35th
anniversary of finishing our studies. By the way, Putin is the
organizer of all our meetings”.

Ilkham Ragimov said that when Putin was young he was visiting Ilkham,
meeting his friends and it “promoted the formation of a positive
attitude of the Russia’s future chief towards our people, culture and
traditions”. “He was always attentive to Azerbaijanis, their problems,
and when Putin came to power the relations between our countries
strengthened in various spheres. Putin’s first official visit was to
Baku. He also participated in the funeral of Azerbaijani leader Heydar
Aliyev. Heydar Aliyev himself appreciated Vladimir Putin as a
statesman, despite their great age difference. Heydar Aliyev was a
distinguished politician and time showed had the right choice of
political priorities in external policy. The processes between our
countries brought benefit to Azerbaijan and Russia. The succession of
the course, the policy of Ilkham Aliyev continues the general line of
Heydar Aliyev. I believe that every possible development of
Russian-Azerbaijani relations in all directions and good-neighbourly
relations between the heads of our countries positively reflects on
the life of our compatriots, living on the territory of Russia”,
Ilkham Aliyev believes.

He also said that he keeps in touch with compatriots living in Moscow,
trying to help in solving their problems, mainly employment issues. He
also spoke about his scientific findings. Ilkham Ragimov is
researching the philosophy of punishment, its moral-ethical
constituent, cause-effect connections and religious views of the
issue.

Asya Gadjizade, AzerTAg staff reporter, Moscow