The Azeri Embassy marked its country’s 98th anniversary last week at a reception in Seoul. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was created on May 28, 1918 and this occasion is known as Republic Day.

The independent new state gave people the freedom they had aspired for almost two centuries, according to Azeri Ambassador Ramzi Teymurov. It was previously ruled by Iranian and Russian empires.

“The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gave impetus to the spread of secular and democratic governance in the Muslim East,” he said at Millennium Seoul Hilton on Tuesday. “The nation-building process resulted in political and economic reforms, democratic institutions, military establishment, national anthem and flag and suffrage to women.” 

He added that the independence was short-lived as Azerbaijan was forcibly subsumed into the Soviet Union in April 1920. For the next 70 years of occupation, Azerbaijan lost not only its independence but also became subject to the discriminatory policies of Soviet rulers, including the subjugation of national and religious identities, and terror against nationalists in which over 30,000 people were killed or jailed, Teymurov added.

In the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan went through a period of hardship -- war with Armenia and economic crisis -- but it managed to achieve rapid growth over the last 25 years, highlighted the envoy.

“Our economy grew threefold, poverty was reduced tenfold and unemployment rate went down to 5 percent,” he highlighted. “We were affected by the falling oil prices lately, but overcame it with minimal losses, increasing wages and pensions by 10 percent this year.”

The government has concerted its efforts to diversify the economy, expanding the non-oil sector by over 5 percent through $1.3 billion projects. Educational investment, social safety nets and economic reforms have made strides, he underlined.

Teymurov pointed to infrastructure projects linking east to west (Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey) and north to south (Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran) corridors. As the first country that has linked the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean and Black Sea through transport corridors, Azerbaijan plays an important role in the energy security of Caucasus and Europe, he argued.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project linking Europe with Asia is nearing completion, while the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline have begun operation. The Alat International Port -- the largest trade port in the Caspian Sea -- allows efficient trade between Eastern and Western European countries. 


Regarding the territorial conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, the ambassador noted that a cease-fire has been agreed as of April 5, although tensions remain.

Azerbaijan and Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992. Over the last 10 years, bilateral trade increased tenfold, with Korean investment concentrated in Azerbaijan’s construction sector. The first deputy ministerial-level political consultation was held in Baku in December last year, and the second round of meeting will be held in Seoul this year.

The two countries maintain robust cooperation in transport, information and telecommunications, renewable energy and construction. With the help of the Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, Korean investment in Azerbaijan has exceeded $1.5 billion over the last 10 years.

Baku wants more Korean investment in manufacturing, pharmaceutical, agricultural, information technology, chemical industries and tourism, according to the embassy. To strengthen bilateral commerce, the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation was established last year, and visa procedures for Koreans have been simplified since February.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)