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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 />

<strong>SOCIETY</strong> 1_<strong>2015</strong> | 47

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