CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 02/2018

LE MONDE AZERBAIJAN | INTERVIEW
H.E. Galib Israfilov
“Azerbaijan not only is a strong bridge from the East to the West,
but from the North to the South as well.“
On the occasion of the celebrations of the country‘s “100 Years of Independence“, the Ambassador of
Azerbaijan sits down to discuss the far-reaching values of its First Republic‘s open society that are still
fundamental for today‘s modern powerhouse at the Caspian Sea.
Interview: Rainer Himmelfreundpointner
PHOTO: RALPH MANFREDA
CD: Ambassador Israfilov, on the 28 th of May,
2018, the Republic of Azerbaijan is celebrating its
“100 Years of Independence“. Can you please lay
out the historic circumstances of the independence
and the subsequent history of Azerbaijan?
Galib Israfilov: We are currently living
in the Third Republic of Azerbaijan, which
is celebrating the 27 th anniversary of its restored
independence. The establishment of
the First Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
100 years ago, has laid a solid basis for a free
society and an independent country where
people – independent of their religion, ethnicity,
sex or any political affiliation – can
live and prosper. We are happy that we were
among the first states which granted the
right to vote to women during the First Republic,
even ahead of many European countries.
Although short-lived – only 23 months
– the First Republic has made a significant
contribution to the perception of national
identity of Azerbaijanis. It has established
the vision for a future of the Azerbaijani nation
which is closely linked with the values
of humanity such as peace, dignity, democracy,
freedom and independence. And for a
Muslim society in the beginning of 20th
century, to cherish these noble ideas of humanity
and to promote them, was very brave.
At the Versailles Peace Conference, the
Azerbaijan statehood was recognised, and
both Azerbaijan and Georgia were officially
allowed to join the nations. Countries recognised
our borders, our territory, our
government and our nation. So for us that
period of 100 Years of Independence is a solid
foundation of placing Azerbaijan as the
first democratic state on the political map of
the region.
Can you give us an impression of Azerbaijan
around 1918 to 1920, when your capital Baku had
roughly as many inhabitants as Vienna, around
two million people, and the rich oil and gas
resources have turned it into one of the most
vibrant places of that time?
By the end of the 19 th century and the beginning
of the 20 th century, we were a multiethnic,
multi-religious and multi-confessional
society and this inclusiveness also
allowed Baku to be recognised as one of the
world’s most dynamically developing cosmopolitan
cities. For example, the Rothschild
family or the Noble brothers, the later
founders of the Noble Prize, have benefitted
a lot from Azerbaijani oil industries. The
problem for us was that we have never been
in full command of our oil and gas resources,
until we became independent in 1918.
What will be the highlights of the 100 Years
Independence Celebration?
Along with the celebration on May 28 th as
the National Day, we plan a number of
events and this will also continue throughout
the year. One of them will be an official
reception on May 29 th , in Vienna. We plan to
bring Azerbaijani culture, music, food, Jazz
and singers. There will be a presentation of
the 100-year-old history of Azerbaijan, the
architecture and establishment of the First
Republic. After these launching events, we
have plans to arrange a number of trips to
Azerbaijan. One of them had already taken
place, as my wife Farah had taken spouses of
Ambassadors, accredited to Austria, for a
one week-tour to Baku and other beautiful
cities of Azerbaijan. We are planning also to
present a research book about the architecture
of Baku at the end of the 19 th and beginning
20 th centuries. Also, we plan to do a
number of concerts, especially dedicated to
the composers of that period of time. What
we want is to show the world a centenniallong
nurtured experience of Azerbaijan as a
country of multiculturalism, tolerance and
non-discrimination. We want to prove that
an inclusive society like ours can be a source
of inspiration for a country. So multiculturalism
is state policy of Azerbaijan and this is a
rather unique experience that we would like
to share.
How would you judge the relationship between
Austria and Azerbaijan today?
Azerbaijan is a strategic trade partner for
Austria in the Caucasus region and since an
Embassy of Austria was opened in 2010 in
Baku, our economic relations have increased.
We have some 14 Austrian companies
with a strong presence in Azerbaijan like
Siemens, Waagner Biro, Strabag, Doppelmayr,
Red Bull or Swarovski. We also put an
emphasis on diversification of our trade relations,
which is still dominated by the oiland
gas-sector.
It makes up nearly all of Austria‘s imports, some
300 million Euro, from Azerbaijan. But our
exports have fallen in 2016 by a third, and rose
back again in 2017. Why are the Austrian
businesses have been going back?
There are many reasons for that. First of all,
the market in Azerbaijan is very competitive.
There are many big European companies
from Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany or
the UK, or even the US, which are having
more long-term relationships with our private
and public sectors. Nevertheless, we are
FOTOS: XYXXYXYXY
H.E. GALIB ISRAFILOV
Having studied international relations at Baku State
University and at Georgetown University, Ambassador
Israfilov, a father of three sons, has been in
diplomatic services for Azerbaijan to Washington,
New York and now Vienna, where he presented his
credentials already back in the year 2011.
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