The Fletcher School

Elin Suleymanov, MALD 2004, Azerbaijan

In less than two years after graduating from The Fletcher School, Elin Suleymanov has quickly climbed the ranks of foreign leadership. In late 2005, he was appointed Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Los Angeles. The California-based mission is the country’s first on America’s West Coast, and Suleymanov will help inaugurate it in 2006.

Prior to this position, Suleymanov served as senior counselor in the Foreign Relations Department at the President’s Office in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“The practice-oriented approach of Fletcher has proven most helpful in my work,” he said. "For a practicing diplomat, the Fletcher experience is invaluable.”

In 2004, Suleymanov became the first citizen of Azerbaijan to receive a MALD degree from Fletcher. He’s now a regular in the Fletcher alumni community.

“Currently, most Fletcherites I work with are foreign counterparts,” said Suleymanov, adding that he enjoys working with them and hopes to have more opportunities to do so in the future.

While studying at Fletcher, Suleymanov focused on international security studies and public international law. His MALD thesis is entitled "Emergence of New Political Identity in the South Caucasus: Energy, Security, Strategic Location and Pragmatism.”

While reflecting on his two years at the school, he said, "Fletcher provides a unique learning environment by bringing together people of diverse backgrounds and views and by enabling an open, healthy exchange of views.”

Suleymanov said his Fletcher education has afforded him invaluable advantages in his career as an international statesman.

“In part, my new appointment as Consul General is another recognition of Fletcher’s excellent academic reputation and the school’s standing in diplomatic circles,” he said.

Before embarking on his studies in international affairs, Suleymanov obtained a bachelor’s degree in political geography from Moscow State University, Russia, in 1992, followed by a master’s in public administration from the University of Toledo, Ohio, in 1994.

The interim years were spent working at the Open Media Research Institute in Prague, as well as public information officer for UNHCR in Azerbaijan and first secretary at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Washington, D.C.

“Since graduation I have become increasingly appreciative of my Fletcher experience, both academic and social,” he said. "For me, the most valuable part of that experience was getting to know my fellow students, a special group of outstanding individuals, many of whom I am proud to count among my friends.”

Education before Fletcher:

Master of Public Administration (Edmund S. Muskie Fellow), The University of Toledo (1994)
Bachelor of Science in Geography, Azerbaijan State University (1989)

Fields of Study:

Public International Law
International Security Studies

Experience before Fletcher:

First Secretary/Press Officer, Embassy of Azerbaijan
Public Information Officer, UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Languages:

Azeri
Russian
English
Czech
Turkish

Contact:

Suleymanov can be reached by email at elinsuleymanov@yahoo.com