Thierry Mariani was born on 8 August 1958 in Orange. He is of Italian origin, from Castellafiume. He went to school in Avignon, then Aix-en-Provence, and he attended university in Paris.
Therry Mariani is a member of Azerbaijan's Friends Association, which, according to Le Monde, is the main tool of the caviar diplomacy used by the authoritarian state of Azerbaijan especially in France. As a PACE member, he is known as one of the key actors of caviar diplomacy and an apologist of the Aliyev regime. The PACE investigation report mentions Mariani as was one of the MPs who were continuously closing eyes on serious human rights violations in Azerbaijan and were backing the Azerbaijani authorities in PACE. Mariani figures prominently as a friend of the Aliyev regime in the French documentary series by France 2, called “Cash Investigation: Mon président est en voyage d’affaires". Mariani has personal relations with the Aliyev family, he has repeatedly spoken alongside Mehriban Aliyeva, Azerbaijan’s First Lady, at several Azerbaijani-organized events in France. Mariani is the Chairman of the NGO "L'Eurasie - les nouveaux horizons," a member-organization of "European Academy for Election Observation," an election observation NGO founded by Azerbaijan apologists Stef Goris and Alain Destexhe, which was proven to promote Azerbaijani interests in Europe. In 2010 the NGO "L'Eurasie - les nouveaux horizons" co-organized an event with an NGO led by Elkhan Suleymanov. Suleymanov is an Azerbaijani MP who was in the core of the lobbying scandals in PACE. He was also one of the key persons of the Azerbaijani Laundromat.
Overview
Governmental functions Member of the French Government: Secretary of State for Transports: 2010-2011, Minister of Transports: 2011-2012 Electoral mandates National Assembly of France Member of the National Assembly of France for Vaucluse : 1993–2010. Elected in 1993, reelected in 1997, 2002, 2007. Member of the National Assembly of France for the Eleventh constituency for French residents overseas : 2012–Present Regional Council Regional councillor of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur : 1992–1993 / Since 2004. Reelected in 2004, 2010. General Council Vice-president of the General Council of Vaucluse : 1992–2001. Reelected in 1994, 1998. General councillor of Vaucluse : 1988–2001. Reelected in 1994. Municipal Council Mayor of Valréas : 1989–2005. Reelected in 1995, 2001. Municipal councillor of Valréas : 1989–2005. Reelected in 1995, 2001.
Political positions
In July 2015, Mariani accompanied by Russian officials made a trip to Crimean peninsula which was annexed by Russia in 2014. In interviews and meetings he expressed support. "We welcome the courage of the Crimean Parliament because it was able to make this decision despite the difficult situation and a great risk of escalation". In 2016, he brought non-binding resolutions to the National Assembly and Senate calling on the European Union to lift economic sanctions against Russia. The resolutions, which had symbolic value, were adopted by both chambers in April and June, respectively. In 2015, Mariani prepared the Council of Europe’s report on Chinese migration to Europe, in which he raised "human rights concerns with regard to trafficking and smuggling rings, the lack of legal protection, and the poor work conditions these immigrants often face". He has also not supported Taiwan's claim of being the true Republic of China, the East Turkestan independence movement, or the Tibetan independence movement.
