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How was 2017 remembered: Most important and bright events

30 December 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)
How was 2017 remembered: Most important and bright events

By Aygul Salmanova

The outgoing year 2017 was rich in various events for Azerbaijan, many of which became significant and widely discussed. What was so special and memorable about this year? What events that occurred in 2017, have a chance to enter country’s and even the world history?

Baku-Tbilisi-Kars

The official opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway was held in the Baku International Sea Trade Port on October 30.

The BTK railway was constructed on the basis of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey intergovernmental agreement. The main purpose of the project is to improve economic relations between the three countries and gain foreign direct investment by connecting Europe to Asia.

Two routes from Kazakhstan to Turkish Mersin have already been sent by this route. The first train, consisting of 30 containers, on November 4, delivered 600 tons of wheat to the Turkish city of Mersin. The second freight train left Kazakhstan on November 27.

The project implementation began in 2007 and construction began in 2008. The line is intended to transport one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of freight at the first stage. This capacity will then reach 3 million passengers and 17 million tons of cargo.

Islamic Solidarity Games

Another significant event of the year 2017 was the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games held in Baku on May 11-22.

Azerbaijan joined the Games with 325 athletes, while the biggest delegation was sent by Turkey – 345 athletes. Iran ranked third for the number of athletes participating in the Games, having 300 athletes within the national team.

Azerbaijan took the lead in medal standings at the Games on May 22. The national athletes won 75 gold, 50 silver and 37 bronze medals. Turkey ranked second with 71 gold medals, 67 silver and 57 bronze medals. Iran ranked third with 39 gold, 26 silver and 33 bronze medals.

Overall 40 countries out of the participating 54 nations could take medals at the Islamic Solidarity Games. The Top 10 is as the following: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, Indonesia, Egypt and Kyrgyzstan.

Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – the 8th round of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship – was held in Baku on June 23-25. The country hosted the race for the second time after hosting it for the first time in summer 2016.

This year ten teams, two drivers in each, competed on the 6-kilometer Baku City Circuit.

Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo won the 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes came in second, while Lance Stroll of Williams was third.

The race was rated as the race with the most exciting and most unexpected moments of the season in the world by most fans of automotive fans, media representatives and Paddock Club members in surveys conducted around the world's leading media.

“Contract of the 21st Century”

The new era in the development of giant Azeri, Chirag, Gunashli oil fields has begun as the country signed a landmark agreement with BP and its partners in the Azeri, Chirag fields and the Deep Water Portion of the Gunashli Field (ACG), embodying celebration of a “Contract of the 21st Century”.

The current amended and restated agreement on the joint development and production sharing will be effective until the end of 2049 and here is the potential for more than $40 billion capital to be invested in the ACG oil field.

Following the completion of the contract, the new ACG participating interests will be as follows: BP - 30.37 percent; AzACG (SOCAR) - 25.00 percent; Chevron - 9.57 percent; INPEX - 9.31 percent; Statoil - 7.27 percent; ExxonMobil - 6.79 percent; TP - 5.73 percent; ITOCHU - 3.65 percent; and ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) - 2.31 percent.

Subsequent to this contract, SOCAR and its co-venturers have also agreed to progress engineering development work to evaluate an additional production platform in the ACG contract area.

Overall, the terms of the new contract reflect the growing financial and technological potential of Azerbaijan and SOCAR. This also proves the confidence of our foreign partners in the Azerbaijani economy, taking the effective partnership to a new level.

Azerbaijani men's team win European Team Chess Championship

The Azerbaijani men's chess team has claimed a glorious victory in the history of national chess, becoming the third-time European champion during the last eight years.

In Crete, Greece, Azerbaijan secured the European Team Championship gold on November 6 with a draw against Ukraine 2-2 in the last round to top the table with 14 points.

In the 9th round the Russian national team beat the chess players from Germany and finished the championship also with 14 points. However, on additional indicators the Azerbaijani team scored a critical win over top-seeded Russia in Round 8, such that even a last round win over Germany was only good enough for the silver medal. Ukraine, the third seed going in, took the bronze.

Sheki became one of UNESCO's creative cities

Sheki, one of the most ancient cities of Azerbaijan, became a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, an association supporting the formation of a network with the aim of promoting international cooperation between cities.

The city has been added in the City of Crafts and Folk Art category of the network.

Some 64 cities from 44 countries have been designated as UNESCO Creative Cities.

Inclusion of Sheki in the City of Crafts and Folk Art category of the network is not a coincidence. The city has long been illustrated as the center of crafts and folk art in Azerbaijan owing to alluring handicrafts made by the local craftsmen.

More than 100,000 tourists visit the city, located on the picturesque hillsides of the Caucasus Mountains in the background of snowy peaks.

Heart of Asia

The “Heart of Asia” – Istanbul Process (HoA IP) 7th Ministerial Conference was held in Baku, Azerbaijan under the motto "Security and Economic Connectivity towards a Strengthened Heart of Asia Region".

HoA-IP was an important regional platform for political dialogue and close regional cooperation aimed at promoting stability, peace and prosperity in the Heart of Asia region, and for enhancing Afghanistan's connectivity with the entire region.

Representatives of the Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process countries and organizations, namely, president and foreign minister of Afghanistan, foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, minister of state for external affairs of India, deputy foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, special representatives of Russia and China on Afghanistan, delegations of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as well as special representative of the UN secretary general for Afghanistan and Central Asia participated in the conference.

In total, more than 250 delegates took part in the event.

Baku Shopping Festivals

According to the presidential decree the country organized shopping festivals. The first-ever Baku Shopping Festival held from April 10 to May 10, 2017 offered its participants a whole lot of options: shopping, entertainment, food and street performances. Many city malls offered special discounts, Tax Free, and temporary pop-up shops presented a broad range of Azerbaijani and foreign brands.

Within the framework of the festival, Azerbaijani citizens and foreign guests who made purchases for more than 100 manats (58.81 dollars) in the shops marked with the "Baku Shopping Festival - Tax Free" stickers, were able to return a certain part of the VAT from the spent sum.

The second Baku Shopping Festival, held from October 15 to November 15, has also been assessed highly successful and profitable.

During the second Baku shopping festival, buyers were able to take advantage of discounts ranging from 10 to 70 percent. Additionally, VAT was returned to them in the amount of 10.2 percent of the total purchase amount.

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