Welcome to the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Washington!
In 2012, Azerbaijan and the United States celebrate the 20th anniversary of establishing bilateral diplomatic relations. This relationship, which has developed into a robust partnership, reflects the United States’ commitment to Azerbaijan’s future from the early days of the nation’s independence and the growing strategic role of the Republic of Azerbaijan, described as a “key ally” by numerous American leaders
Standing at the crossroads of cultures and civilizations, Azerbaijan, a crucial juncture along the ancient Silk Road, is a home to an inclusive society proud of its diversity. From the alpine peaks and deep canyons of the Caucasus Mountains to subtropical forests of Lenkaran to the shores of the Caspian Sea, the unique variety of Azerbaijan’s nature continues to inspire its poets and musicians – heirs to the heritage of the great Nizami Ganjavi and masters of the mysterious music of Mugham. The Azerbaijanis are passionate about culture with the deep-rooted tradition of music being, perhaps, the most characteristic feature of our nation. It is only natural then that the first opera in the Muslim world- an adaptation of the East’s epic love story “Leyli and Mejnun” – was written and performed in Azerbaijan in 1908 and in 2011, Europe’s oldest and most watched pop song contest, the Eurovision, was won by an Azerbaijani duet singing in English.
On May 28, 1918 independent Azerbaijan emerged as the first parliamentary republic in the Muslim world. It was crushed in 1920 by the Bolshevik invasion, yet during its short existence, the Republic became the symbol of the Azerbaijani identity and the nation’s aspirations granting to its citizens already in 1918 equal rights regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliation as well as equal voting rights to men and women. Today, the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which restored its statehood in 1991, are proud of this heritage and the progress made by the nation since regaining independence.
Over the last two decades, Azerbaijan led by Ilham Aliyev, a reformist president, has emerged as America’s reliable regional partner, a key member of Euro-Atlantic initiatives and a recognized regional leader. Azerbaijani servicemen serve shoulder- to- shoulder with American soldiers in Afghanistan (and formerly in Iraq and the Balkans) and the nation is an active participant of the international anti-terror efforts. Whereas the significance of Baku as the vital transit link for the NATO operation in Afghanistan has grown noticeably, President Aliyev alsostated Azerbaijan’s intention to expand support for Afghan national institutions highlighting the long-standing friendship between the Afghan and the Azerbaijani people. Both a member of the Council of Europe and the Organization of Islamic Conference, which it chaired in 2006, the Republic of Azerbaijan is in a unique position to bridge divides and to promote greater understanding. It is natural, therefore, that Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, hosted the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in April of 2011. Azerbaijan’s leadership in promoting tolerance and cultural dialogue is widely recognized and highly valued by the world leaders.
Azerbaijan’s approach to international affairs based on respect for international law and positive, mutually beneficial cooperation with partners received a very special acknowledgment when an overwhelming number of the United Nations member-states elected Azerbaijan to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2012-13.
Yet, as Azerbaijan works with its partners within the international community to address the global challenges, it is also struggling to overcome the devastating consequences of an armed aggression by neighboring Armenia and the occupation of 20% of the internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory by Armenian forces. In spite of numerous international pronouncements, including a number of UN Security Council resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Armenian troops, Armenia continues its policy of total ethnic cleansing having forced about 1 million innocent civilians into exile. As a result, Azerbaijan has been hosting displaced communities, whose only ‘crime’ was not being Armenian, for almost quarter of a century. Still unresolved, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict remains a major threat to peace in the region, a bleeding wound for Azerbaijan and a challenge for Armenia’s own future.
Azerbaijan is widely known for its oil. Indeed, home to world’s first oil boom in early 20th century, for many the capital city of Baku is synonymous with oil exploration. Soon after independence, Azerbaijan once again pioneered development of the Caspian energy resources under leadership of the late President Heydar Aliyev, whose vision and foresight has transformed both Azerbaijan and the entire Caspian region. In 1994, it was Heydar Aliyev, who secured then largest single foreign investment in the former Soviet Union – an oil contract, which later became known as the “Deal of the Century,” and the most significant infrastructure project in the region – the strategic Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline- was successfully completed by Azerbaijan’s new dynamic President Ilham Aliyev. The latter project, which was strongly supported by the United States, promotes prosperity of Azerbaijan and its partners in the region while enhancing security and stability in the region by establishing the backbone of the East-West energy corridor. Importantly, the pipeline, along with other Caspian initiatives, also contributes to strengthening the global energy security. Today, Azerbaijan is Europe’s main partner in developing the Southern Energy Corridor designed to bring the Caspian natural gas to the European markets. The recent decision to initiate the construction of the Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline (TANAP) once again underscores that Azerbaijan acts on its stated commitments.
At the same time, the Government’s vision is not limited to hydrocarbons alone and it is paying a special attention to developing Azerbaijan’s economy outside the energy sector, an endeavor, in which America’s experience in areas from agriculture to alternative energy to developing new technologies can be especially valuable. Azerbaijan was named the World Bank’s “Best Reformer” in 2009 and its National Oil Fund, which has pioneered many best practices, is globally recognized as an example of transparency and responsible revenue management. As a result of the strategic approach to using the nation’s energy revenues, the Government supports education of thousands of Azerbaijani students in the leading universities abroad and makes a major effort to develop and expand vital infrastructure as well as to rapidly improve the citizens’ living standards.
Azerbaijan offers a great promise and we invite our friends and colleagues to partake in it. As you learn more about our country and build your partnerships with your Azerbaijani colleagues, all of us at the Embassy stand ready to assist with your needs.
Come visit Azerbaijan! Enjoy our nature, listen to our music and taste our cuisine and, most importantly, build new friendships and meet our people.
We look forward to seeing you in Azerbaijan!
Elin Suleymanov
Ambassador
