[4] Mehdiyev was appointed Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan in December 1991, during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, replacing General Valeh Barshadly.

In an interview with British journalist Thomas de Waal, Mehdiyev said: There was not a single piece of military equipment...

Additionally, within the 2 months of his term in office, several villages of strategic importance, Karkijahan, Malibeyli and Gushchular, and Garadaghly and were lost to Armenian forces.

He lobbied changes in salary, health insurance, provision of jobs to members of officers' families due to their relocations and social protection.

[2] He was also one of supporters for establishment of Ministry of Defence Industry of Azerbaijan and starting domestic military production.