Elnur Aslanov

Professional career

Dr. Aslanov serves as a Head of e-Government Development Department (before - Strategic planning, Scientific potential and Investment department) at the Ministry of Communication and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan since April 2014. Dr. Aslanov also holds a position of Member of Advisory Board of High Technologies Park of Azerbaijan. Previously, from 2007 till 2014, he served as a Head of Political Analysis and Information Department of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Before that, from 2001 to 2007, he served as Senior Advisor to the Head of Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In this role, as a Head of the Political Analysis and Information Department in the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan, Dr. Aslanov was leading the work on state political strategies and analysis and wrote extensively on subject of state-building and how Azerbaijan managed to build in less than a generation a modern, secular and democratic nation, from the ruins of seven decades under Soviet rule.

"Today Azerbaijan is a harmonious, tolerant, multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state, an emerging powerhouse that serves as the socio-political and economic conduit between Europe and Asia."

In 2011, he wrote an answer to a letter, allegedly written by a thirteen-year-old girl from Nagorno-Karabakh Adeline Avagimyan, asking the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev why he wants Karabakh and why he keeps talking of military options. In his answer, he invited Adelina to visit Baku, Ganja, Sumgayit and other districts of Azerbaijan, to see their development, new appearance and see how much Armenia is losing by occupying Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The South Caucasus is sure to become a peaceful place as soon as we have our say together, solve the conflict and return to our homes. An early solution of the conflict is beneficial to all, including the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh, which includes you too. And nobody has the right to deny you the opportunity to live in your own land in Karabakh, just as no one has the right to deprive hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis of the right to return to their homes in Khankandi, Shusha, Khojaly, Asgaran, Khojavand, Agdara, Hadrut, Lachin, Kalbajar, Agdam, Jabrail, Fuzuli, Gubadli, and Zangilan."

In his capacity as a political scientist, Elnur Aslanov has given talks at numerous international conferences and authored more than 100 scholarly publications on the subject of international security and international relations. He also published close to 200 of his articles and opinion papers in electronic and print media on the subject of national ideology, foreign policy of the State, and modernization issues.

Elnur Aslanov also authored a book on subject of two very distinguishable phenomena that are often used interchangeably by many scholars, titled "Modernization and national development" (Baku, 2015). His hypothesis based on the idea, that the process of modernization is based on social, economic and political factors that have developed the entire human society through the ancient days. At the same time, Dr. Aslanov underlines, that national development implies economic growth. With that in mind, in his book Dr. Aslanov states, that major relationship that exists between the two phenomena – modernization and national development – is that both are concerned with the growth of the economy.

Dr. Aslanov known for his position toward unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and his criticism of mechanisms and double standards on international political space:

“UN Security system needs to be improved, because as there can be no difference in a scale of the human tragedy, there should either be no classifying of resolutions "aimed at maintaining international peace and security" into those which are "important" and those which are "less important."

Elnur Aslanov is also known for his research on subject of mobilization of information technology as an important tool in fostering national competitiveness in the context of a rapidly changing global economy.

"All existing and proposed legislative acts can and must be designed not to limit but to regulate the Internet space. At the same time, both critics and pessimists have to remember the traffic rules – roads would have been in chaos without the presence of a set of rights and duties of the road traffic. Many people forget that in order to confront global challenges in the coming years and decades, it is necessary to have a legal framework that prevents the emergence and spread of portals of racist, nationalist, extremist orientation, and other criminally oriented electronic resources, including resources defiling the youth. And it is quite natural."

In his interviews and talks as a quest lecture at local universities, Elnur Aslanov advocated the idea, that IT promotes good governance by increasing transparency, information, and accountability, by facilitating accurate decision-making and public participation, and by enhancing the efficient delivery of public goods and services.

"The government in Azerbaijan has provided all opportunities for citizens to have a free access to information. There is a free internet in the country. There are thousands of free bloggers on an internet space of Azerbaijan. There are tens of online radios, online TVs, hundreds of e-newspapers and e-magazines. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are extremely popular among the population. Social networks have become an integral part of our lives. It has also become a space of political discussions and exchange of view. Internet has already become a part of daily lives of people in Azerbaijan."

Dr. Aslanov in his current position as a Head of e-Government Development Department (before - Strategic planning, Scientific potential and Investment department) at the Ministry of Communication and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan oversees e-Government strategies in Azerbaijan, that can be implemented by government organizations, state agencies and public sector organizations for strategic planning and transformational purposes.

"The sum of advanced ICTs and new ways of thinking and working in public administration, multiplied by an enhanced provision of information and interactive services are the factors that helped us laid the foundation of eGovernment in Azerbaijan."

Elnur Aslanov holds PhD degree in Political science, M.A. in International Affairs, as well as Master of Theological Studies. He speaks several languages.

Articles and OpEds