Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has relieved Rovnag Abdullayev from his position as Chairman of the State Oil Company, SOCAR. The position is considered one of the most important in the country given the leading role of the oil industry in the Azerbaijani economy. Abdullayev who is 56 years old and was born in Nakhcivan and has been president of SOCAR since 2005, becaming an influential figure, including in the development of Azerbaijan-Turkey relations
In a related move, the Azerbaijani president has appointed the first Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, as first Vice President of SOCAR, and concurrently as Acting President of the company.