Azerbaijan

[IVB]

Medal "For Long Service in the Organs of Interior" / "Daxili işlər orqanlarında q?sursuz xidmətə g?rə" Medalı

Instituted in 2006. Awarded in three grades for 10, 15 and 20 years of service in the Organs of Interior of Azerbaijan.

Diameter of the medals is 32 mm.

[IVB]

Medal "Veteran of Police" / "Polis Veteranı" Medalı

Instituted in 2006. Awarded for 30 and more years of irreproachable service in the Organs of Interior of Azerbaijan.

Diameter of the medal is 32 mm.

[IVB]

Jubilee Medal "90 years of Azerbaijan Police" / "Azərbaycan Polisinin 90 illiyi" Yubiley Medalı

Instituted on 13 June 2008.

[Chuck In Oregon]

Must have been 2005 or so. A friend in Tbilisi told me that one of his friends wanted to meet me. Well, fine, and we met. Very nice guy, jolly fellow and all and we got along famously. After an hour or so he (my now new friend) asked me to join him and his family for supper. Large supper setting in the Tbilisi Marriott, big family, much toasting and chatting. I learn that my new friend is from Baku and he's a retired police officer. "Oh, really?", I ask. "What did you do?" "I was a chief", he says. "How very interesting" or words to that effect, I say in my halting Russian as he speaks no English. "Chief of what?", I ask. "The nation."

Turns out that he was the just-retired chief of the Azeri MVD and an uncle of the then-new president. Asked me to come visit and stay in "the palace". Tempting, as I have never stayed in a palace before. A Holiday Inn Express, yes, but never a palace. Unfortunately I never got the chance but I suppose the door is still open.

I may be going back to Tbilisi next month for a few weeks work. I'll see what's going on with all my friends then.

Off topic maybe, but your thread reminded me of the story.

Chuck

[Guest Rick Research]

The designs are quite nice--which is unusual these days. I hope the quality of the actual medals matchs!

The style of ribbon suspension is quite odd-- rather like that used in Romania from the late 1960s on. The general effect, worn in a group, would look like British "court mounting."