Tarlan Ahmadov, shown here in a 2021 photo, was named director of the Maine Office of New Americans in December. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

The first director of Maine’s Office of New Americans is stepping down after a group representing Armenian immigrants criticized some of his past actions as biased and wrote to the governor calling for his resignation.

Tarlan Ahmadov, who was named the first director of the Office of New Americans in December, submitted his resignation letter to the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future on Tuesday.

The letter cites health reasons and did not mention the recent allegations from the Armenian Cultural Association of Maine.

“After careful consideration and due to personal health reasons, I have decided to step down from my role as director of the Office of New Americans,” his letter reads. “I wish the office well as it continues its important work.”

Ahmadov’s resignation comes a little over a month after the Armenian association wrote to Gov. Janet Mills accusing him of a “long track record of anti-Armenian activism” and requesting his resignation.

A spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future did not directly respond to a question about whether Ahmadov’s resignation was related to the accusations, and he did not immediately respond to a request for an interview submitted through the office.

“We respect his decision to resign and appreciate his service as Director of the Office of New Americans,” office spokesperson Jackie Farwell said in an email. “An interim director will be appointed to continue leading the Office’s important work to make Maine a home of opportunity for all and build a stronger economy.”

Ahmadov was appointed to lead the newly formed Office of New Americans as its first director in December. The office was created last year to better help immigrants integrate in Maine, including with English-language acquisition and workforce pathways, and through improved data collection and coordination of entities that support immigrants.

In late February, the Armenian association wrote a letter to Mills saying Ahmadov had made past inflammatory statements on social media, such as labeling Armenia an “occupant and aggressor” and mocking the Armenian diaspora.

Ahmadov is originally from Azerbaijan and emigrated to Maine years ago. The two former Soviet republics have fought on and off since the 1980s, including a recent conflict over disputed territory in the mountainous border between the two countries, though officials said last month that they had agreed to terms of a peace treaty.

The Armenian association said that in December 2023, Ahmadov sent a letter to leadership at the University of Southern Maine falsely claiming that a panel discussion organized by the association was biased and misleading, and demanding changes to its format.

And last year, the association said in its letter to Mills, Ahmadov facilitated a trip for several Maine lawmakers to Azerbaijan, where he “acted as a government agent” in arranging meetings with Azerbaijani officials and attended celebratory events in locations where Armenians were recently forced from their homes.

Ahmadov previously clashed with Armenian Americans in Maine in 2021 after he was involved in requesting and drafting a proclamation for former Portland Mayor Kate Snyder to sign to acknowledge the 1992 killing of hundreds of Azeris by Armenian and Soviet forces.

Some Armenian Americans criticized the proclamation, saying it was part of a propaganda campaign by Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey, after which Snyder apologized and then rescinded the proclamation.

Gerard Kiladjian, president of the Armenian Cultural Association of Maine, said Tuesday the association had been in touch with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future about the letter they sent in February and the office let them know Tuesday that Ahmadov would be resigning.

“We’re happy he resigned,” Kiladjian said. “Whether it’s for health reasons or because they put pressure on him, the important part for us is he’s no longer in that position. With his actions and personality, he was the wrong person for the position. We hope the governor will find someone neutral who is welcoming to immigrants from all walks of life.”