BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 3. First vice-president of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, Khoshbakht Yusifzade, has passed away, Trend reports.
Khoshbakht Yusifzade was born in Pirshaghy village of Baku in 1930. In 1952 he graduated from the Geology and Exploration Faculty (Geology and Exploration of Oil & Fas Fields) of the M. Azizbayov Azerbaijan Institute of Industry (now Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University) majoring in Mining Engineering and Geology.
He started his career in Gosspetsnefteproyekt (State Special Oil Project) Department of the USSR Ministry of Oil Industry in Baku. Within a short time, however, he joined then newly-established Denizneft Union to work as Deputy Chief of Geology Department before continuing his career as a senior geologist in Azneft PU. In 1954 he was appointed Senior Geologist of the First Production Field at Gurganneft Trust (now Neft Dashlary OGPD) and ever since he has been contributing and leading the offshore oil exploration and development projects. In 1958-1959 he joined Neft Dashlary Central Research and Production Plant (CRPP) to work as a senior geologist, where he was promoted to the head of Neft Dashlary CRPP in 1959-1960. In 1960 he was appointed Deputy Chief and Senior Geologist at the Oil Fields Department named after the 22nd Congress of the USSR Communist Party (former Gurganneft), where he worked until 1963. Between 1963 and 1970, he worked as Deputy Senior Geologist and Chief of Section at Bashdenizneft and as Deputy Senior Geologist and Chief of the Geological Exploration Section at Denizneft PU. In 1970-1992 he worked as Deputy General Director and Senior Geologist at Khazardenizneft PU that had different names at different times. In 1992-1994, he became First vice-president of State Concern Azerineft and Adviser to SOCAR President, before working as SOCAR vice-president on Geology, Geophysics and Field Development in 1994-2004 and SOCAR First vice-president on Geology, Geophysics and Field Development in 2004-2016. He was appointed First vice-president of SOCAR by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2016.
In 1960 Khoshbakht Yusifzade received a PhD degree in Geology and Mineralogy defending his thesis on the “Exploration of Oil Wells and Horizons and Efficient Development and Operation of Oil Deposits in South-West Flank of Neft Dashlary (Oil Rocks)”. In 1987 he became Doctor of Sciences defending his thesis on the “Principles and Methods of Accelerated Exploration of Offshore Oil & Gas Fields” at Moscow Institute of Fossil Fuels Geology and Development of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union under the USSR Ministry of Oil Industry. In 2005 he subsequently was conferred the title of Professor. Khoshbakht Yusifzade is a member of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), an honorary member of Russian International Engineering Academy, a foreign member of Russian Natural Sciences Academy, a full member of the International Turkic Studies Academy, a foreign full member of Georgian National Academy of Sciences, and professor of Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University. He is an author of more than 200 academic publications, including 18 monographs, and 8 inventions. He both participated and led the exploration projects to discover more than 20 oil and gas fields in Azerbaijan, including famous ones like Azeri, Chirag, Gunashli, Shah Deniz, Kepez, Bahar, Umid and Absheron.
For his irreplaceable services in the development of the oil and gas industry, particularly in the exploration and development of offshore oil, gas and condensate fields, Academician Yusifzade was awarded former USSR orders of the Red Banner of Labour (1963, 1976), the Badge of Honour (1971), the orders of the Republic of Azerbaijan Istiglal (Independence; 2000), Glory (2004), Honour (2010), Labour 1st degree (2017), the Heydar Aliyev Prize (2019), the Heydar Aliyev Order (2020), the Order of Friendship of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2011), Honorary Diploma of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2015), former USSR medals for Labour Valour, Commitment to Labour, and Veteran of Labour (1986), as well as medals of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the 95th Anniversary (1919-2004) of Azerbaijan Border Service, 10 Years (2005-2015) of the Emergency Ministry of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 100 years (1918-2018) of the Azerbaijani Police, 160th Anniversary (1858-2018) of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping, 100 Years (1919-2019) of Azerbaijan State Security and Foreign Intelligence Services, 100 Years (1919-2019) of the Diplomatic Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan and 100 Years (1918-2018) of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Academician Yusifzade was awarded two State Prizes of the Republic of Azerbaijan (1982, 1991), the Nizami Ganjavi Golden Medal of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2018), honorary titles of the USSR Honorary Oil Worker (1970), Honorary Explorer of the Earth’s Interior (1985), First Field Explorer (1988), Honorary Engineer of Azerbaijan SSR (1964) and Honorary Engineer of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2005). Khoshbakht Yusifzade was awarded the Certificate of Merit of the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan SSR (1960,1980); the Certificate of Merit of the 50th Anniversary of the USSR Oil Industry (1968); the Certificate of Merit of the USSR Society of Sciences and Technology (1981,1983); eight cash bonuses at the order of the USSR ministries of oil and gas industry for discovering and exploration of a number of oil fields; one gold (1973) and two bronze medals (1982, 1985) of the USSR Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy; the Caspian Energy Integration Award of the Caspian Integration Business Club (2007), the Order of Honour and Appeal of Conscience of the United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) International Award Committee (Moscow) (2013), an honorary title and badge of the Art and Science Cavalier of Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (2014), the Academician Azad Mirzajanzadeh Silver Medal of Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (2015), the title of Honorary Scientist of the Turkic World of the International Turkic Studies Academy (2011), Order with Crown of the European Academy of Natural Sciences (2014) and the Silver Medal of the CIS All Trade Unions Confederation (2017). For his outstanding services in the development and application of nanotechnologies in the oil industry, Academician Yusifzade was awarded the UNESCO Medal and his name was included in the UNESCO Encyclopaedia (2010). For services in the world of science and economy, he was awarded the European Supreme Service Medal by the Geneva-based United Nations Public Service Awards (2018). In 2018 Academician Yusifzade received the Certificate of Merit from Azerbaijani Elders Council of which he has been a member since 2009. An Academician Khoshbakht Yusifzade Scholarship was established in 2016 for A-level students of the ASOIU Geological Exploration Faculty, and in 2020 for two students studying Oil & Gas Engineering at Baku Higher Oil School.