Vice Admiral Shahin Eshref oghlu Sultanov () was the Commander of the Azerbaijani Naval Forces from 1999 to 2014.

Early life and career

He was born on 8 August 1961 in the

Goychay District Goychay District ( az, Göyçay rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the centre of the country and belongs to the Central Aran Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Agdash, Qabala, Ismayilli, Kurdam ...

of the

Azerbaijan SSR Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...

. Sultanov graduated from the

Navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

Department of the Caspian Higher Naval School named after Sergei Kirov. He was appointed the Commander of Azerbaijani Naval Forces in 1999. Sultanov's rank was raised to Counter Admiral on January 19, 2002. On June 24, 2005 he was promoted to Vice Admiral. He was awarded with ''

Veten Ughrunda Medal Veten is a mountain in the city of Bergen, Norway. At above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Åsane borough, and the ninth-highest in Bergen. The name is an archaic word for "beacon" in Norwegian. See also *List of mountains of Norway ...

'' (In the Name of Motherland) on June 24, 2003; ''

Azerbaijani Flag Order Azerbaijani Flag Order ( az, Azərbaycan Bayrağı Ordeni) is an award presented by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. History and status Azerbaijani Flag order was among several medals and orders, requested to be reviewed and created ...

'' on June 22, 2006; '' Herbi Xidmlete Gore Medal'' on June 24, 2010. As the commander of navy, he modernized the Azerbaijani Navy capabilities and established close contacts with the

Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establi ...

and

Pakistani Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Qur'an, 3:173'') , type ...

Arrest

Sultanov was arrested on 24 April 2014 on charges of official forgery, theft and embezzlement and as a preventive measure was later placed under house arrest. A

military court A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

in the

Nəsimi raion Nasimi rayon ( az, Nəsimi rayonu) is a settlement and raion of Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, named after Imadaddin Nasimi and formed on June 13, 1969. The administrative territory of the Nasimi district, one of the central districts of Baku, is ...

sentenced him to eight years and six months in prison with a probationary period of three years. According to his lawyer, the court's decision to move Sultanov’s was based in his merit’s in the military.

References

Azerbaijani generals Chiefs of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces Living people Recipients of the Azerbaijani Flag Order People from Goychay District 1959 births Azerbaijani Navy personnel {{Azerbaijan-bio-stub