An interest in Indonesia: Azerbaijan seeks closer ties

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 12/23/2006 2:00 PM

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While it may not be a familiar name here, Azerbaijan, a former Soviet Republic in southern Caucasus, has since last year shown a lot of interest in forging closer ties with Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population.

Azerbaijan, a tiny but petroleum-rich nation of 8.5 million people, the majority of them Muslims, declared its independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 30, 1991.

Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia, Azerbaijan opened an embassy here in December 2005 and appointed one of its top diplomats, Ibrahim A. Hajiyev, as the first Azerbaijan Ambassador to Indonesia.

With the emergence of Asia as a global economic and political hub, Azerbaijan has recently turned its attention toward this dynamic region.

""Our President Ilham Aliyev decided to open an embassy in Southeast Asia. So we opened our embassy in Indonesia in December 2005. This is our first embassy in Southeast Asia,"" Ambassador Hajiyev, who submitted his credentials to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Feb. 6, 2006, told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview at his office in Jakarta.

Why Indonesia?

Ambassador Hajiyev, an adept career diplomat, said Indonesia was an important regional and world power.

""It's because of Indonesia's stature in regional and global political affairs. That's why my country has so much interest in Indonesia. We want to develop our cooperation with Indonesia in different fields,"" said Hajiyev, who graduated from Baku's State University of Languages in 1970.

The embassy, located on Jl. Mas Putih in South Jakarta, has five diplomats, including the ambassador.

Indonesia was quick to recognize Azerbaijan's independence on Dec. 28, 1991. The two countries established diplomatic relations on Sept. 24, 1992.

Hajiyev praised Indonesian leaders and officials for their support for Azerbaijan.

""I admire President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has a vision for global peace and development. I am thankful to Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, who has extended all possible cooperation as well as support for our embassy here. We do not have any sort of difficulties or misunderstandings with Indonesia,"" said Hajiyev, who has worked in Sudan (1971-1973), Bombay, India (1983-1988) and Morocco (1996-1998).

Prior to coming to Jakarta, Hajiyev -- who speaks fluent English, Russian and Turkish -- was the director general of the Americas and Europe at the Foreign Ministry in Baku.

For Hajiyev, who came to Indonesia in December 2005, the first year was a hectic one.

""We prepared 20 draft treaties covering various areas in order to have a conceptual basis for our relations. It's a big challenge for me and my staff to approach various ministries and meet people in connection with these treaties,"" said Hajiyev, who is married and has two children.

He said the embassy had already received two responses regarding education and air transportation from the relevant ministries.

Besides these treaties, Hajiyev said, the embassy had submitted information on Azerbaijan to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, especially on Nagarno-Karabakh.

""It (Nagarno-Karabakh) is our territory, which was occupied by Armenia. This was covered in UN Security Council Resolutions numbers 822, 853, 874 and 884 in 1993. But we want to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagarno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means, based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Indonesia has reiterated its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, for which we are grateful,"" Hajiyev said, adding that Baku wanted to have a regular political dialog with Jakarta.

On the economic front, Hajiyev and his team need to work hard to improve economic ties between the two countries.

""Our bilateral trade value is very small. That's why we want to have agreements on economic cooperation, trade and investment. We have already contacted M.S. Hidayat to have a business forum,"" said Hajiyev, who spends his free time listening to classical music, reading and traveling.

Hidayat is the chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

According to Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry's website, bilateral trade value between the two countries was US$15.98 million in 2003. The trade was heavily in favor of Indonesia, with Azerbaijan's imports from Indonesia valued at $15.95 million while exports were just $27,900.

""We mainly import textiles, rubber, tires and furniture from Indonesia. Recently, there was some interest from Indonesia in our cotton,"" Hajiyev said, adding there was a lot of room for improvement in economic ties given both countries' potential.

With its booming oil industry, Azerbaijan is the world leader in economic growth this year, with 34 percent GDP growth from January-October 2006. Indonesia is Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

While describing his main mission in Indonesia, Hajiyev said he would try to bring Azerbaijan and Indonesia closer together.

""My mission will be accomplished only when I bring our two nations still closer. I must try whatever means and ways so that my people know more about Indonesia and Indonesians know more about Azerbaijan. This is my major goal,"" Hajiyev said.

In order to raise awareness among Indonesians, Hajiyev said, the embassy will soon launch its website.

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