SOCAR new main sponsor of the Montreux Jazz Festival

PRESS RELEASE
SOCAR new main sponsor of the Montreux Jazz Festival
The Group’s new cultural commitment complements its growing premium brand and
its engagement in Switzerland.
Zurich/Geneva, 11 April 2012 – SOCAR, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic,
is a new main sponsor of the world renowned Montreux Jazz Festival. With this
sponsorship, SOCAR is underlining its commitment to its growing Swiss roots as well
as its international engagement in culture.
First held in 1967 on the shores of Lake Geneva, the Montreux Jazz Festival has since
become of the most prestigious festivals in the world, with a unique and eclectic musical
reputation. Every year, more than 200 000 visitors go to Montreux to attend the numerous
concerts and art performances. The 46th edition of the festival is taking place this summer
from June 29 to July 14.
SOCAR’s sponsorship of the Montreux Jazz Festival complements the Group’s international
presence in the cultural arena. SOCAR already engages itself in numerous cultural and
social sponsorship activities in its home country Azerbaijan and many other countries where
the Group is present, including Switzerland.
SOCAR’s commitment to culture
As one of the six main sponsors of the legendary music festival, SOCAR is pleased to be
making a significant contribution to the Swiss and European music scene. Montreux Jazz
Festival’s excellent reputation worldwide, its longstanding Swiss tradition, and its music
contributions of finest quality are all characteristics that fit with SOCAR’s values of highquality,
modern, and customer-oriented services. Also, SOCAR’s home country Azerbaijan
has a rich history of jazz culture, boasting both modern and traditional jazz forms and jazz
artists of international repute.
Zaur Gahramanov, Member of the Board of SOCAR Energy Switzerland in Zurich and Vice-
President, Finance & Economy SOCAR Trading in Geneva, says: “We are very pleased to
be one of the main sponsors of the prestigious Jazz Festival in Montreux. In order to honor
SOCAR’s and Azerbaijan’s growing roots in Switzerland and Europe, we wanted to make a
contribution to a cultural event that personally touches us. The sponsorship of such an
internationally well-known and admired festival perfectly fits into our vision of establishing
and building a premium brand in the energy sector.”

SOCAR’s aim is to create a highly accepted premium brand in Switzerland standing for top
quality, excellent customer service and high environmental and management standards.
For media enquiries, please contact:
SOCAR Energy Switzerland
Montreux Jazz Festival
Press Office
Press Office
Phone: + 41 44 266 67 88 Phone: +41 21 966 44 44
E-mail: press@socarenergy.ch E-mail: presse@mjf.ch
_________________________________
About SOCAR
SOCAR (www.socar.az) is the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic. It was incorporated in 1993 to manage
all oil and gas assets and activities on the part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The company employs more than
80,000 people mainly in Azerbaijan but also in different countries in Eastern and Central Europe. SOCAR is
involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate,
marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and international markets, and supplying natural
gas to industry and the public in Azerbaijan. Three production divisions, two oil refineries and one gas processing
plant, an oil tanker fleet, a deep water platform fabrication yard, two trusts, one institution, and 22 subdivisions are
operating as corporate entities under SOCAR.
In Switzerland, SOCAR operates the SOCAR Trading and SOCAR Energy Switzerland.
Headquartered in Geneva, SOCAR Trading (www.socartrading.ch) is the international marketing and
development arm of SOCAR Group. The company markets the bulk of SOCAR crude oil export volumes from
Ceyhan, trades significant volumes of third party crude and oil products and assists its parent company with
international investments in logistics and downstream.
After completion of the acquisition of Esso Schweiz GmbH in the third quarter of 2012, SOCAR Energy
Switzerland (www.socarenergy.ch) will operate in several businesses: Retail with more than 160 retail sites (63
company-owned), Industrial & Wholesale, Supply & Distribution and Aviation.
About Montreux Jazz Festival
Founded by Claude Nobs in 1967, over the years the Montreux Jazz Festival (www.montreuxjazzfestival.com)
has become an unmissable event for music fans in Switzerland and around the world. Its stages have been
graced by all of music’s greats, from Miles Davis to Ray Charles and from David Bowie to Prince. Whereas Jazz
constitutes the Festival’s historic core, other styles of music were quickly integrated into the Festival, bound
together by a common thread of mutual curiosity and enthusiasm. Having made its reputation with its ambitious
programming choices, the Montreux Jazz Festival offers musicians an ideal platform and an intimate setting for
the duration of its two weeks. The 46th Edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival will take place from June 29th to July
14th 2012.