[Friends for decades] Brother nations Korea and Azerbaijan share history and perseverance

Diplomacy

Published: 19 Jul. 2022, 13:14

[Friends for decades] Brother nations Korea and Azerbaijan share history and perseverance

Azerbaijan Ambassador to Korea Ramzi Teymurov speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the embassy in Seoul on June 14. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Long ago, somewhere between Eastern Europe and northern Asia, the ancestors of Koreans and Azerbaijanis may have been distant cousins, if not part of a single family.

“There is a sense of brotherhood between the two nations and some evidence that our lives may have crossed in the ancient times,” said Ramzi Teymurov, ambassador of Azerbaijan to Korea.

Azerbaijan and Korea sealed their ties officially on March 23, 1992, just three months after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But archaeological and anthropological studies have pointed to the peoples of two nations having possibly crossed paths in the dawn of history, in ancient times. A conference this month in Baku, in which a number of Korean historians will participate, is expected to shed more light on the ongoing research, the top envoy added.

Teymurov is no stranger when it comes to observing the everyday livelihoods and culture of the Korean people, for his tenure in Seoul representing Azerbaijan stretches back to 2014.

A lot has taken place in those eight years, not least the Covid-19 pandemic but also a rekindled conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in late 2020 over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an issue that dates back to the Soviet era.

Given its own history of occupation by foreign powers, Azerbaijan has kept a close eye on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, condemning all acts that threaten territorial integrity of any country.

“We are not welcoming what is going on between the Russian Federation and Ukraine,” said Teymurov. “We have very good relations with both countries and are supporting a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”

To learn more about what the recent geopolitical events will mean for Azerbaijan and Korea relations, in light of the milestone events and history the two nations have weathered in their 30 years of friendship, the Korea JoongAng Daily sat down with Teymurov at the embassy in Seoul on June 14.

The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

The Azerbaijan Embassy in Seoul hosted an exhibition of Azerbaijan carpets at the KF Gallery in Seoul from November 2018 to January 2019. [EMBASSY OF AZERBAIJAN IN KOREA]

What led the two countries to seek diplomatic ties in 1992?

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan gained its independence in 1992, for which many of our citizens gave their lives. Immediately afterwards, we began to establish bilateral relations with other countries, including with Korea.

Our ties with Korea took a turn with the state visits in 2006 and 2007, each by the presidents of Korea and Azerbaijan, during which we took major steps to boost our political dialogue, economic cooperation, trade and humanitarian work.

Korean companies have been actively taking part in the construction boom in Azerbaijan, which for the past three decades led to the completion of a national transportation network. Last year, President Ilham Aliyev invited Korean companies to participate in the ongoing infrastructure projects, not only as contractors but also as investors.

An architectural rendering for an office building of Azersu, a water supply and sanitation services company in Azerbaijan, completed in 2022. Korea's Halla Construction Company won the bid to help build it in 2013. [YONHAP]

Would some of these projects take place inside the Karabakh region?

Yes, we’re speaking of a territory the size of Gyeonggi, liberated in 2020. For the past 30 years, much of the infrastructure in the area has been destroyed, and we’re rebuilding from zero. This year, we are expecting the first groups among those internally displaced, around 41 families, to return to the liberated areas, as we’ve completed our first pilot project on smart villages there.

We would highly appreciate if countries like Korea and other international communities would assist us in the humanitarian work here, especially since Korea has experience in building smart cities and in landmine cleaning efforts. We have huge resources in the area to use solar and wind power, and we intend to make sure that these new villages are run on renewables.

What is the latest on peace talks with Armenia?

We are in the process of negotiating with Armenia on the dellimitation and demarcation process, to recognize the state borders between our two countries. After this process is completed, we are looking forward to further developing our region, not only based on the Azerbaijan potential, but based on cooperation between the three countries in the South Caucasus — Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan — a strategically important area in the region.

This handout picture taken and released by Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 16 shows Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, left, and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, right, looking on during a meeting in Tbilisi for the first bilateral talks between the two Caucasus nations since the 2020 war for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. [GEORGIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS/AFP/YONHAP]

Depending on where the demarcation line is drawn, wouldn’t it mean that some of the Armenians or Azerbaijanis living in the area would face direct or drastic changes to their livelihoods? Are these implications being considered?

The demarcation line is between the countries, not between the peoples. We have ethnic Armenians living in Karabakh under the sovereignty of Azerbaijan who we consider as Azerbaijan citizens. We lost the state borders after our conflict in the 1990s. We know where they are, but we need to find the exact coordinates and locations and this will be done between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The situation that Azerbaijan has with Armenia is not the same as what the two Koreas have, but there seem to be some parallels in terms of their geopolitical consequences. How have you assessed the situation in Korea?

There are a number of parallels between South Korea and Azerbaijan. Both countries were subject to occupation by foreign powers, but despite all that history, both nations were brave enough to stand on their own feet and gain their independence.

In the case of the two Koreas, it’s a case that involves two countries that used to be one. In our case, Azerbaijan and Armenia were not a single nation to begin with. In terms of geopolitical consequences, our situations may be said to be similar because we are both surrounded by big powers in the region. We should be very careful to not allow our territories to become battlefields of proxy wars by other countries.

How is Azerbaijan viewing the ongoing situation in Ukraine?

We are not welcoming what is going on between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. We have very good relations with both countries and are supporting a peaceful resolution of the conflict, with members of our leadership ready to assist any peaceful meeting between the officials of both nations.

Azerbaijan believes in respecting international norms and principles, and that the territorial integrity of any country cannot be subject to violation. All countries must respect the international norms and principles set forward by the United Nations and other international organizations.

In your eight years of tenure in Seoul, how do you think Korea’s foreign policy toward its northern region has evolved?

Korea had different names for its approach to the region over the past eight years. During the Park Geun-hye administration, they called it the Eurasia Initiative. During the Moon Jae-in administration, they called it the New Northern Policy. As the Yoon Suk-yeol administration considers its foreign policies toward the region, I suggest that they look beyond the foreign policy concept towards the region that is still largely based on the Soviet era. The region has had new independent states since then, and regional developments such as a recent organization created by Turkic-speaking nations. There are new realities in the region that must be carefully considered.

Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration chief Jung Jae-suk, center, attend a Unesco World Heritage Committee meeting in Baku on July 6, 2019, when Koera's Confucian academies, or seowon, were successfully enlisted as a Unesco World Heritage site. [CULTURAL HERITAGE ADMINISTRATION]

In 2019, Korea participated in a Unesco meeting held in Baku, and heard the good news that its Confucian academies, or seowon, were enlisted as a Unesco heritage site. Were there any similarities in culture and lifestyle that you noticed between the people of Azerbaijan and Korea?

We have a number of similarities in our cultural heritage, and there are studies ongoing to see how our ancestors may have crossed paths. There will be a conference in Baku in July to share some findings on this research.

I myself have seen some similarities in my trips to heritage sites in Korea. When I saw the tombs in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, I was reminded of the kurgans we have in Azerbaijan. And there are similarities in our everyday practices, like taking off our shoes when we enter homes, and the traditional practice of eating around a table while sitting on the floor. We are brother nations, and I hope more Koreans and Azerbaijanis will come to see that more in the next 30 years of our friendship to come.

[EMBASSY OF AZERBAIJAN IN KOREA]

Timeline of Azerbaijan-Korea ites

1992 Ties established
The two countries established diplomatic ties on March 23, 1992. The Korean Embassy was established in Baku in 2006, the first time for Korea to open an embassy in the South Caucasus region, and the Azerbaijan Embassy in Seoul in 2007.

2006 Roh Moo-hyun in Azerbaijan
President Roh Moo-hyun in May 2006 became the first Korean president to visit Azerbaijan in an official state visit. His visit was followed two years later by Prime Minister Han Seung-soo.

President Roh Moo-hyun, right, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, left, enter the presidential palace together in Baku on May 11, 2006. [YONHAP]

2007 Ilham Aliyev in Seoul
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev visited Seoul in April 2007 on a state visit and held a summit meeting with President Roh. In his interview with the JoongAng Ilbo during the visit, President Aliyev spoke of his ideas for the bilateral agenda including increased exchange of energy from Azerbaijan and knowledge and skills from Korea. The president came back to Seoul in 2012 to attend a multilateral summit on nuclear security.

President Roh Moo-hyun, right, greets Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, left, during his state visit to Korea in April 2007. [BLUE HOUSE]

2018 Dresses and carpets
Baku National Costumes House, with the Azerbaijan Embassy in Seoul, Korea Culture Association and Korea Foundation showcased Azerbaijani dresses and costumes to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic’s declaration of independence in 1918, at a fashion show in Coex in May 2018. As another cultural program, the Azerbaijan Embassy in Seoul hosted an exhibition of Azerbaijan carpets at the KF Gallery in Seoul from November 2018 to January 2019.

Baku National Costumes House, with the Azerbaijan Embassy in Seoul, Korea Culture Association and Korea Foundation showcased Azerbaijani dresses and costumes to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic’s declaration of independence in 1918, at a fashion show in COEX in May 2018. [EMBASSY OF AZERBAIJAN IN KOREA]

2021 Speaker in Baku
National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug visited Azerbaijan from Aug. 18 to 20 in 2021 and met with the president, speaker of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan and a number of corporate executives to discuss the two countries’ cooperation on the denuclearization of North Korea and rebuilding the Karabakh region in Azerbaijan.

Then-Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seug, fifth from left, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, sixth from left, pose together during Park's visit to Baku in August 2021. [KOREAN EMBASSY IN AZERBAIJAN]

2022 Celebration of 30th anniversary
To celebrate 30 years of relations, the Azerbaijan Embassy in Seoul planted a tree with the Yongsan District Office in May. “Layla and Majnun,” a famous work by poet Nizami Ganjavi, whose heritage is widely shared and appreciated across Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan and others, was translated to Korean and published in February. A photo exhibition was held to celebrate the anniversary in ties at the National Assembly in June.

Azerbaijan Ambassador to Korea Ramzi Teymurov, right, and head of the Yongsan DIstrict Office Seong Jang-hyun, left, plant a tree at the Singye Historical Park in Yongsan to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan-Korea relations on May 12. [YONHAP]