Former Minister of Culture, Republic of Azerbaijan, and Head of Partnerships, ICESCO
H.E. Anar Karimov has served as Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector at ICESCO, where he advances international collaboration across education, science and culture in the Islamic world.
A seasoned diplomat, he was Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Azerbaijan to UNESCO in Paris (2014–2020). From 2009 to 2014 he served at Azerbaijan’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO as Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Delegate and Chargé d’Affaires, and earlier held posts at the Embassy to Belgium and the Mission to the European Union. He began his foreign-service career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2000.
Ambassador Karimov holds the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. He earned an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from the State Academy of Public Administration under the President of Azerbaijan and a BA in Arabic Language Philology and Oriental Studies from Baku State University.