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"Ongoing development in Baku is amazing"

Q. Mr. Ambassador, how would you describe India-Azerbaijan relations?

A. Our relations have a long history. Back in the ancient times, many merchants traveled from India to Azerbaijan. And the traces of their stay in the country can be seen in the Karvansaray and Atashgah monuments in Baku.

But when Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet Union, our relations were controlled by Moscow and we did not maintain ties directly.

After Azerbaijan gained independence [in 1991], we began to establish ties anew. These relations developed further with the opening of the [Indian] embassy. In March 1999, our embassy opened in Azerbaijan, and in October that year, India appointed its first ambassador in Baku. I am the fourth Indian ambassador to Azerbaijan.

India and Azerbaijan have very close, friendly relations. Bilateral relations are developing in the fields of trade and culture. Several Indian students are receiving education here and several Azerbaijani students are studying in India.

Q. What is the level of trade turnover between India and Azerbaijan?

A. Unfortunately, our trade turnover is rather insignificant, but we are working on that. In the past two years, annual trade turnover has reached $300 million. And India’s oil company, which buys oil from Azerbaijan, accounts for most of the amount. If relevant agreements are reached, they would like to import more oil.

India exports medicine, meat, black tea and clothing to Azerbaijan. Lately, we began to export electronic equipment as well. Also, India exported vehicles to Azerbaijan this year, though in small volumes. About 100 Indian cars as well as some cellular phones were put on sale in the Azerbaijani market.

Q. Mr. Ambassador, it is necessary to increase travel between India and Azerbaijan in order to boost bilateral relations. In your view, what needs to be done to promote cooperation in the field of tourism?

A. Both India and Azerbaijan have great potential for tourism. And a lot has been done in this area in recent years. For instance, a great number of Indian representatives participated at the tourism exhibition held in Baku last month. Very interesting meetings took place there. After the exhibition, a group of Azerbaijani tourists headed to India. As for attracting Indian tourists here, some issues need to be resolved to make this happen. For example, visa regulations should be simplified and a direct flight opened. Increasing public awareness about Azerbaijan is one of the top priorities as well.

Q. As India’s envoy to Azerbaijan, what work are you doing to help our nations get to know each other better?

A. In order to develop relations between our countries, we take groups of journalists from here to India. We also agreed with a local non-governmental organization to have Mahatma Gandhi’s book published in Azerbaijani. These efforts are increasing the two peoples’ awareness about each other.

Q. British Prime Minister David Cameron recently told the press that Britain is responsible for the settlement of the Kashmir conflict. What do you think about that?

A. I don’t want to comment on the remarks of another country’s diplomat. But what I can say about Kashmir is that we are discussing the problem with Pakistan. We are trying to resolve the conflict, and the situation in Kashmir is currently under control. And we believe that if Pakistan makes some effort politically, the problem will be solved.

Q. Azerbaijan also faces a territorial dispute -- with Armenia. What is India’s stance on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict?

A. We support Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is a complicated one, but we hope it will be settled peacefully.

Q. Let’s talk about Baku a little. Mr. Ambassador, you have been here for about two years. What are your impressions about the Azerbaijani capital?

A. To be honest, before coming to Baku I was expecting to see not a very large city, because in India we are used to living in very large cities, lots of population. But I realized upon my very arrival at the airport that Baku is much bigger than I imagined. The unprecedented development that has been underway in the city in the past two years is amazing. The buildings, roads, overhauled infrastructure…This growth has made Baku more attractive. Everything is available here to lead a modern life.

I have been to a number of European cities. Baku reminds me of Europe. There are parts of Paris, Vienna in Baku.

Q. Have you been to other Azerbaijani regions?

A. Yes, I have traveled to a lot of Azerbaijani regions -- from Nakhchivan to Ganja, Shaki, Lankaran and Masally. I have even been to Sabirabad, a region many have not visited. For me, personally, Azerbaijani regions are beautiful too. At least because there is not much traffic, not much noise there.

Q. Indian films have always been popular in Azerbaijan. What are the similarities between our cultures and nations?

A. Due to the proximity of the two cultures, we are delighted to live and work in Azerbaijan. Our music and dances are very close. We also have similar traditions of family unity and marriage, which are the cornerstone of society. Even our languages are close. I don’t have a good command of Azerbaijani. But I have found about 300 words in Hindi that are similar or the same. For instance, such words as "mehebbet" ("love"), khalcha ("carpet"), "dunya" ("world"). You know, ethnic Turkic groups have ruled India in the past as well. Possibly, these words came to our language at the time. This could also be due to the influence upon the Azerbaijani and Indian languages of other tongues, such as Arabic and Persian. Your world-famous poet Nizami Ganjavi wrote in Persian. In India, there has been a plethora of poets and writers influenced by his creations who went down in history.