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Winter 1997 (5.4)
Page 23
Realistic Regionalism
"Let's be realistic. One cannot criticize Azerbaijan's rights to develop its own oil fields insisting that legal issues of the Caspian Sea have not yet been resolved, while at the same time seeking permission to participate in developing these fields. Nor can one be regarded as a reliable partner in regional cooperation and, at the same time, continue a policy of militarily occupying a significant part of Azerbaijan territory, leaving 1 million refugees homeless, destroying hundreds of cities and villages and carrying out a policy of vandalism."
Ilham Aliyev, VP of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), as the keynote luncheon speaker at the Caspian Pipelines Conference November 19, 1997, in Washington, D.C.______
"There are those who say that the successful development of the distant land of the Caspian is-forgive the pun-a 'pipe dream.' But I ask you to do like Marco Polo did. In the future . . . believe."
Federico Pena, U.S. Secretary of Energy, speaking at the Caspian Pipelines Conference on November 19, 1997, in Washington, D.C., after returning from Azerbaijan where he participated in the Early Oil Day ceremonies on November 12.______
"We can now look forward - optimistically, and I think, not unrealistically - to a time some 10 years from now, when the Caspin becomes the third largest energy-producing region in the world, with secure nation-states embedded in the international economic and political system."
Jan H. Kalicki, U.S. Ombudsman for Energy and Commercial Relations with the Newly Independent States and Counselor to the U.S. Department of Commerce, speaking at the Caspian Pipelines Conference on November 19, 1997, in Washington, D.C.______
"Baku is like an old forgotten book that you discover in your grandmother's attic. Once you've wiped off the dust and delved into its pages, you stand amazed at its treasures. Azerbaijan's intellectual resources far exceed its natural resources. The real prize here is not oil but rather, history, culture and people."
Reza, the Paris-based, world-renown photographer in an interview with Azerbaijan International in December 1997. Reza has been on assignment in the Caspian region for the past year for National Geographic magazine.______
"If you really want to understand the Azerbaijani people, listen to their music. You'll detect a unique synthesis of the old with the new, of the East with the West. You'll encounter a spirit of openness, diversity, internationalism, tradition and intellectual rigor. But above all, you'll discover their passion for life. Azerbaijani music makes you want to live!"
Betty Blair, Editor of Azerbaijan International magazine, listening hours on end to Azeri music in the preparation of this issue-"Legacy of Music."
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"I expected Azerbaijan to be more Oriental, more Eastern. But, basically, the culture here is very European. You feel it. Of course, being located between two continents, Azerbaijan has its own distinctiveness. It seems to me that the European culture here has passed through an Asiatic filter which gives it more sophistication, sensitivity and subtletyall characteristics of the Middle East and the Orient."
Alessandro Fallavollita, Italian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, in an interview with Azerbaijan International in November 1997.
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From Azerbaijan International (5.4) Winter 1997
© Azerbaijan International 1997. All Rights Reserved.
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