[Cooking with Her Excellency, Azerbaijani] Azerbaijani Brief
Azerbaijan in brief* Capital: Baku
* Major cities: Sumqayit, Ganja, Mingachevir, Lankaran
* Official language: Azerbaijani
* Population: 9.5 million
* Religion: Islam (93%), Christianity (3%)
* Area: 33,436 square miles
* Number of Korean expats: 230 (2014)
Decades of friendship
Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Korea were established in March 1992. Azerbaijan considers its relations with Korea to be very important. Mutual visits by heads of state in 2006 and 2007 helped strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
Thriving trade
The Azerbaijani government sees Korea as one of its major partners in terms of political and economic cooperation. Economic activity between the countries is thriving, especially in sectors like transport, alternative energy, construction and telecommunications.
Key products exported from Korea to Azerbaijan are electronic devices, vehicles and components, pharmaceuticals, tires for passenger cars, liquid pumps, air conditioning systems and spare parts, and optical and photographic instruments for medical operations.
Azerbaijan's chief exports to Korea include crude oil, chemical products, precious metals, ferrous metals, agriculture processing products and household appliances.
Ongoing investment
The volume of Korean investment in the Azerbaijani economy reached $150 million between 2008 and 2014. During the past decade, Korean companies have participated in projects run by the Azerbaijani government as contractors. The total value of these projects, which are mostly related to construction and transportation, is $1 billion. As for Azerbaijani investment in Korea, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan last year purchased Pine Avenue Tower A in Seoul for $447 million.
Konul Teymurova
Born in Barda, Azerbaijan, in 1980, Konul Teymurova earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the Azerbaijan University of Languages and married her husband after graduation. She worked at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy for two years beginning in 2010 before accompanying her husband to Seoul. A mother of two sons, Teymurova is an active member of the Ambassadors Spouses’ Association in Seoul (ASAS).
Ramzi Teymurov
Azerbaijani Ambassador to Korea
Ambassador Ramzi Teymurov was born in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, in 1980 and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English at the Azerbaijan University of Languages. His previous overseas assignments include Washington and Vienna.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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