SOCIETY 367 / 2015
Nr. 367 I Nr. 1 - 2015
Nr. 367 I Nr. 1 - 2015
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DIPLOMATIE<br />
ASERBAIDSCHAN<br />
»We see the<br />
power of force is<br />
dominating over<br />
the power of<br />
justice and law.<br />
«<br />
Galib<br />
Israfilov<br />
but we also have an Asian dimension in<br />
our country. Our domestic and foreign<br />
policy is based on these two dimensions<br />
– the Asian and the European. We are<br />
a young, democratic, secular country<br />
with a predominant Muslim population,<br />
which has achieved a number of successful<br />
outcomes and can be seen as a model<br />
for other Muslim societies to follow. Azerbaijan<br />
is modern but has very deep historic<br />
traditions. Many civilizations and<br />
empires – like the Persians, Ottomans,<br />
Arabs, Mongols, Romans, Greeks, and<br />
Russians – have passed through Azerbaijan<br />
leaving their imprints on our cultural,<br />
religious and ethnic diversity. We are<br />
managing to combine all these traditions<br />
and maintain the spirit of modernity on<br />
one hand and the respect towards various<br />
ethnicities, religions and communities<br />
living in Azerbaijan on the other<br />
hand.<br />
Which of the neighbour countries is<br />
your most important partner?<br />
Nowadays the number one external<br />
trade partner is the European Union as a<br />
whole. We have a well-diversified network<br />
of connections with EU countries, that<br />
help us improve our own performance and<br />
carry out necessary reforms of our system.<br />
Twenty years ago, we lived in a planned<br />
economy with a communist ideology, so<br />
within two decades, the entire state structure<br />
changed. We have managed to establish<br />
a solid political system that is based<br />
on the interests of our people. Our country<br />
pursues an independent policy, which<br />
is built on the positive agenda with our<br />
neighbours. We have perfect relations with<br />
almost all of our neighbours except for one<br />
country – Armenia. Our projects are of a<br />
trans-regional nature and bring development<br />
not only to Azerbaijan but also to the<br />
entire region. We have transformed from<br />
the recipient of assistance to the provider<br />
of assistance in many countries. Those<br />
achievements make us unique within this<br />
neighbourhood.<br />
How is the passport situation between<br />
the neighbour countries and Azerbaijan?<br />
Do you need visas?<br />
We have a complex system of visas. It<br />
depends on the intensity and dynamic<br />
of our relations with the immediate<br />
and distant neighbours. For citizens of<br />
Turkey and Iran for instance it is necessary<br />
to have visas to enter Azerbaijan.<br />
For Georgians, Kazakhs, Russians – all<br />
the CIS Countries – there is no necessity<br />
to have visas. Regarding the EU, we are<br />
working on visa facilitation. We have<br />
signed an agreement with the European<br />
Union that has simplified to some extent<br />
the visa procedures, but more business is<br />
still to do.<br />
Do you have some concrete plans for<br />
new infrastructure? Are some projects<br />
concerning the Silk Road?<br />
One of the priorities of our domestic<br />
and foreign policy is the development<br />
transit capacity of Azerbaijan. We aim at<br />
simplifying the border crossing points<br />
and tariffs with our neighbours and investing<br />
heavily into infrastructure. The<br />
road construction takes time and a lot of<br />
resources, but we already have completed<br />
a major highway from Baku to the western<br />
border with Georgia. The second major<br />
highway connects the Russian border<br />
in the North with the southern border<br />
with Iran. With these highways the traffic<br />
and transit volume has increased tremendously.<br />
We have also built at least<br />
five international airports in Azerbaijan.<br />
The major project that we are completing<br />
this year is a railroad that will start<br />
in Baku, go to the Georgian capital Tbilisi<br />
and then connect to the Turkish railroad<br />
network in Kars. This is part of the Silk<br />
Road. The railroad will be able to carry<br />
millions of cargo and is fully in line with<br />
the EU standards of railroads. The railroad<br />
connecting port of Kazakhstan with the<br />
Chinese border has already been built, so<br />
once the final part of the road – the Turkish<br />
part – is completed, this will expand<br />
tremendously the opportunities for cooperation<br />
with the EU. Nowadays, in order<br />
to ship cargo from a Chinese port to an<br />
European port, for instance Rotterdam<br />
in the Netherlands, it takes one month.<br />
Through this railroad the shipping maximum<br />
will be two weeks for this distance.<br />
That concept of multimodal transportation<br />
would provide many benefits for the<br />
countries in both directions. At the same<br />
time, it makes the corridor more vulnerable<br />
to organized crime elements that try<br />
to misuse the borders. Therefore we have<br />
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