Deputy head of Azerbaijani diplomatic mission-Mahammad Hasan Hajinski
(1875-1931) had graduated from Saint Petersburg Road Engineering Institute and had
long supervised urban construction department of Baku Duma. In the meantime,
along with A.Topchubashov, he had been one of the leaders of the Executive
Committee of Muslim social-political organizations. Later he had joined the ranks of
“Musavat” party and had been elected a member of the Central Committee during the
party's first conference. Along with being a member of Azerbaijani Parliament, he
had also held positions of foreign minister in the first cabinet and finance minister in
the second cabinet formed by F.Xoyski.
Member of the delegation - Akbaraga Sheykhulislamov (1881-1961) was a
graduate of Irevan gymnasium and Saint Petersburg Road Engineering Institute. He
was a member of the Transcaucasian Seim and deputy minister of interior in the
Transcaucasian government. He had continued his political activity in the Menshevik
oriented “Hummat” party. Sheykhulislamov had been among the signatories to the
Declaration of Independence proclaiming the establishment of the Republic of
Azerbaijan. He had held position of land and labor minister in the first government of
F.Xoyski and represented socialist fraction in the Parliament.
Member of the delegation - Ahmadbey Agayev (Ahmad Agaoglu 1869-
1939) was a publicist and a social figure. He had seen perfect education in Sorbonne
University and the School of Law in Paris. He was an editor of “Hayat”, “Irshad” and
“Tereqqi” newspapers (1905-1908) and founder of the “Difai” (1905) which is
considered to be the first political party in Azerbaijan. In 1909, being persecuted by
the Russia's secret police he was forced to immigrate to Ottoman Empire, to Turkey,
where he had established close ties with the founders of “Ittihad and Tereqqi” (Union
and Progress) party and had been among the founders of the “Turk yurdu” (Homeland
of Turks) and “Turk ocagi” (Fireplace of Turks) organizations. In the meantime, he
was a professor of Russian literature of the Istanbul University and member of
Ottoman Parliament. In 1918 Agaoglu had arrived in Azerbaijan in the capacity of a
political counselor to Nuru Pasha, commander of the Caucasus Islamic Army and
later had been elected a member to Parliament of Azerbaijan. However, due to his
close ties with leaders of “Ittihad and Tereqqi” British occupational forces in Istanbul
had hindered his voyage to the Paris Peace Conference. In 1919 he was arrested by
the British occupational forces and Later exiled to Malta.
Adviser to the delegation - Ceyhunbey Hajibeyli (1889-1962) was a graduate
of Sorbonne and Paris School of Political Sciences. He was a talented publicist and
great musician. Together with his elder brother Uzeyir Hajibeyli (1885-1948) he had
composed the first Azerbaijani opera - “Leyli and Mejnun”. After the establishment
of the Republic of Azerbaijan he served as chief editor of “Azerbaijan”, the semi-
official government newspaper in Russian. He had published a number of significant
articles concerning social problems, culture, education, women's freedom, etc. in
various Russian language newspapers and magazines of Baku and Caucasus.
Adviser to the delegation - graduate of Irevan gymnasium, Mahammad
Maharramov (1890-1992) had been recognized representative of Azerbaijanis of
Irevan (center of Irevan khanate and predominantly Azerbaijani populated, this city
was declared a capital of the Republic of Armenia in 1918). He had been elected a
delegate to the Constituent Assembly of Russia from Irevan province. Besides being a
member of the Transcaucasian Seim and member of the socialist fraction in
Parliament of Azerbaijan, he had been one of the signatories to the National Charter -
Declaration of Independence of May 28, 1918.
Adviser to the delegation - Miryagub Mirmehdiyev (1887-?) had been a
graduate of a law faculty of Petersburg University and had worked as a legal advisor
in Baku. He was represented within “Ittihad” (Union) party in Parliament of
Azerbaijan.
In August 1919 the Socialist fraction of Parliament of Azerbaijan had
adopted a Decree regarding rotation of the members of the delegation to the Paris
Peace Conference and had sent Abbasbey Atamalibeyov (1892-1962) to Paris to
replace Mahammad Maharramov. However, since another member of the delegation -
M.H.Hajinski had already returned to Azerbaijan, it had been deemed expedient for
both Atamalibeyov and Maharramov to remain in Paris. The graduate of Petersburg
Cadet Corps and one of the youngest members of the delegation, Atamalibeyov had
assumed a post of delegation's secretary.
Apart from the main delegation, technical staff members included - Alibey
Huseynzade (1864-1940), V.Marchevski, secretaries - Sefvet Melikov and
Alakbarbay Topchubashov, interpreters - A.Gafarov (French), G.Gafarova (English)
and H.Mammadov (French and Turkish). Rashidbey Topchubashev acted as a
personal assistant to the head of the delegation. However, Alibey Huseynzade had
been accused by member states of Antanta of cooperating with “Ittihad and Taraqqi”
party, thus obstructing his participation in the conference. Sevfet Melikov had to stay
in Turkey in the capacity of Azerbaijan's representative in Istanbul.
Already in Istanbul the delegation had been well organized and the duties
had been accurately assigned among the members. Three sections had been
established within the delegation - policy and national issues, economy and
commerce, propaganda and information, with members being engaged in these
sections based on their area of interest.
In the meantime, each member had also been assigned a concrete duty and
specific area of responsibility. Together with general supervision, head of the
delegation - Topchubashov was in charge of political issues and memorandum
elaboration. He had also been responsible for organizational and financial issues.
Deputy head of the delegation - Hajinski was a treasurer for the delegation and head
of the economy and commerce section. He was engaged in relations with French and
other European businessmen on behalf of Azerbaijani government. Sheykhulislamov
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