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Gunay Afandiyeva

Gunay Afandiyeva

Member of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Vice-Chairman of the TURKPA Commission on Education, Culture, Social and Humanitarian Affairs

In 1991-1997, she studied at the Azerbaijan Medical University and graduated with honors. She graduated from the Bulbul Secondary Specialized Music School with a gold medal.

In 2004-2008, she worked as a consul at the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Istanbul, and in 2009-2015, she worked as the First Secretary of the National Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan for UNESCO. On September 11, 2015, at the 5th Summit of the Heads of State of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States (now the Organization of Turkic States) held in Astana, she was appointed the first president of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation. In connection with the handover of the chairmanship of the Foundation to the Republic of Kazakhstan at the 10th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States held in Astana, she held his position until November 3, 2023. In September 2024, she was elected a deputy of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan of the 7th convocation. She is the Deputy Chairman of the Culture Committee of the Milli Majlis, a member of the Health Committee of the Milli Majlis, and the Deputy Chairman of the TURKPA Commission on Education, culture, social and and humanitarian affairs.

She is the author of numerous articles and publications in local and international press on the topics of Turkish heritage, intercultural dialogue and cultural diplomacy.

For her contributions to the promotion of the Turkic cultural heritage and intercultural dialogue, she has been awarded the honorary title and medal "Cultural Ambassador of Uzbekistan" (2025), the Commander's Cross of the Republic of Hungary (2024), the Honorary Diploma of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic (2023), the Minister Torekulov Medal of Kazakhstan (2023), the 30th Anniversary Medal of TURKSOY (2023), the Honored Cultural Worker of the Kyrgyz Republic (2023), the "Manas" Medal (2023), the Honorary Professor of the Kyrgyz National University (2022), the Chingiz Aitmatov Medal (2021), the Abay Kunanbayev Medal (2020), the Medal for the 100th Anniversary of the Diplomatic Service of Azerbaijan (2019), the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Second Class (2015), the Medal for the 90th Anniversary of the Diplomatic Service of Azerbaijan (2009), and a number of national and international orders, medals, and diplomas, such as UNESCO medals.

She speaks Azerbaijani, Turkish, Russian and English.