Greetings from the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Washington, DC. In this edition of the news digest, you will find stories about Azerbaijan’s participation at World Economic Forum in Davos; the nation’s important role in global energy security as well as about Azerbaijan-US and Azerbaijan-Israel relations. To learn more about the Embassy’s activities, please remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Azerbaijan's economic priorities for 2017
World Economic Forum

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev writes: “Azerbaijan’s success today is an outcome of comprehensive, specific and targeted efforts of the past few years. Implementation of globally important projects in various sectors of the economy, including energy, not only made our country more capable, but also facilitated regional and international cooperation. In this regard, delivery of Azerbaijani natural gas to European markets via the Azerbaijan-led and Azerbaijan-initiated Southern Gas Corridor Project will substantially contribute to strengthening Europe’s energy security. We also launched major projects to further strengthen Azerbaijan’s transit potential. This year, construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is scheduled for completion. The implementation of this project will consequently decrease the transportation time of the goods from China to Europe from between 25 to 30 days to 12 to 15. Meanwhile, all the construction works on the Azerbaijani segment of the north-south transport corridor were finalized last year. Thus, Azerbaijan is turning into a crucial transportation hub. Today, priorities for our economic policy are further diversification of the economy, while developing the non-oil sector”.

AJC Meets President, Senior Officials in Baku
American Jewish Committee

An AJC leadership delegation concluded a two-day visit to the capital of Azerbaijan. The trip was highlighted by a 70-minute private meeting with the country's leader, President Ilham Aliyev, at the Zagulba Palace. The eight-member group, led by AJC President John Shapiro and CEO David Harris, also had a private dinner with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who addressed the AJC Global Forum in Washington, D.C., in 2013.

Azerbaijan-US-Israel partnership very important
Trend.az

Constructive partnership between Azerbaijan, US and Israel has a big significance, President of the American Jewish Committee John Shapiro said in an exclusive interview with Trend. Shapiro reminded that the Israeli delegation met with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. “The conversation has been very open, and we believe we have a very good and positive understanding of the challenges faced by Azerbaijan and importance for the country to have a constructive relationship both with US and Israel,” he said.

Azerbaijan ranks second in terms of IDI among developing countries
Trend.az

Azerbaijan ranked second among 78 countries with developing economies according to the Inclusive Development Index (IDI) of the World Economic Forum (WEF), reads the Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2017 posted on the WEF website.

President Ilham Aliyev meets Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
Trend.az

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Davos. During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the development of relations between the two countries in political, economic and other fields. The importance of the visit of the Ukrainian President to Azerbaijan in terms of boosting relations was emphasized. Active cooperation of both countries in international organizations, as well as support for each other`s sovereignty and territorial integrity was stressed.

President Ilham Aliyev meets European Commission VP Maros Sefcovic
Trend.az

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic in Davos. During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction with the existing cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union in the field of energy. The current plans related to the Southern Gas Corridor, TANAP and TAP projects, as well as Ionian Adriatic Pipeline were discussed. It was noted that another Ministerial Meeting within the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council will be held in Baku in next month.

Azerbaijan, World Bank sign legal agreements for financing Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project
Azertag.az

Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Southern Gas Corridor Closed Joint Stock Company (SGC) and World Bank have signed legal agreements for allocation of a US$400 million IBRD loan to SGC with the guarantee of the Republic of Azerbaijan to support the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) Project. The project will transport natural gas from the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to and across Turkey, and further to Europe, aiming to diversify Azerbaijan's gas export markets and improve the security of the energy supply in Turkey and South Eastern Europe.

It just became easier than ever to visit Azerbaijan as the country simplifies its visa process
Lonely Planet

Taking a trip to the “Land of Fire’ just got easier, as Azerbaijan has simplified its visa process in an effort to appeal to travelers from around the world. The country announced a new online visa system, which will issue single-entry, 30-day e-visas to people of 81 different nationalities. That includes people from the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, many EU countries, and nations in the Middle East, Asia, Central and South America.

On this 27th anniversary of the tragic events of January 20, 1990 in Baku we are re-posting an article by Ambassador Elin Suleymanov published in 2010
The Huffington Post

Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the U.S. Elin Suleymanov writes: “On January 20, 1990 - nearly two years before the official collapse of USSR - Soviet leadership ordered a full-scale military attack on civilians in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku. In trying to preserve the once-mighty empire by massacring civilians, the Kremlin actually doomed any remaining hopes at salvaging the USSR’s rapidly sinking ship and cemented the West’s victory in the Cold War”.