Azerbaijani Ambassador gives presentation on Azerbaijani history and relations with Vietnam

Mr. Anar Imanov's presentation recounted the historical events leading to the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and reviewed past events in Vietnam-Azerbaijan relations.

Before the 20th century, Azerbaijan was a collection of small kingdoms ruled by khans (kings). The small kingdoms were heavily influenced by two great powers: the Persian Empire (largely in what is now Iran) and the Russian Empire. After the collapse of the Russian Empire in World War I, Azerbaijan, along with Armenia and Georgia, became part of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federal Republic. In 1918, Azerbaijan declared independence and established a parliamentary republic called the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. However, this state only lasted until 1920, when Red Army forces annexed the country to the Soviet Union.

Ambassador Anar Imanov introduces the history of Azerbaijan

In 1922, Azerbaijan was included with Armenia and Georgia in the Trans-Caucasian Soviet Socialist Republic; in 1936, it separated to form the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. By the 1980s, the Soviet economy began to decline severely, leading to economic reforms by Mikhail Gorbachev and eventually its complete collapse in 1991. During that time, many countries in the Socialist bloc emerged to gain independence. In November 1990, Azerbaijan declared independence as the Republic of Azerbaijan. After going through a fierce conflict from 1988-1994 with the Armenians; Azerbaijan began to implement practical reform policies that have developed the country to this day, especially through taking advantage of its oil resources.

Students watch a video introducing the capital city of Baku, Azerbaijan.

Regarding Vietnam, Ambassador Anar Imanov said that the two countries have many similarities through their struggle for independence. In fact, since 1959, President Ho Chi Minh visited and asked Azerbaijani leaders to support Vietnam in developing the oil and gas industry, a key economic sector at that time. In 1960, the neighboring country received the first batch of students from our country to study oil and gas. Azerbaijan also sent experts to Vietnam to explore offshore oil and gas fields, the first of which was Bach Ho oil field, about 145 km off the coast of Vung Tau. In 1983, Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, then Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, visited and signed many agreements to send supplies to help Vietnam rebuild after the war. The two countries officially established diplomatic relations in 1992. In 1994, Azerbaijan began to support the training of naval officers for our country.

President Ho Chi Minh visited the Baku Oil and Gas Industrial Zone - Azerbaijan in 1959

The above historical interactions have created the premise for the extensive and multifaceted development of bilateral relations between the two countries. In 2013, the Republic of Azerbaijan officially opened an embassy in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In 2014, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited Vietnam and President Truong Tan Sang visited Azerbaijan in 2015. The two sides also established an Intergovernmental Committee and Friendship Parliamentary Groups. Over the past 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Vietnam and Azerbaijan have together achieved remarkable achievements in many fields from politics, economy, energy to culture, tourism, science and technology.

For students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Embassy of Azerbaijan hopes that exchange and dialogue events will create opportunities to enhance the understanding and awareness of Vietnamese youth towards Azerbaijan. For example, the photo exhibition on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Azerbaijan held on March 29, 2018 at the University was attended and responded to by many students. Their attachment to these events has contributed to the bilateral relations between the two countries. In return, the Embassy of Azerbaijan also pledged to support scholarships and send Azerbaijani lecturers to teach at the University in the near future.