Azerbaijan–India relations

Azerbaijan-India relations are the bilateral relations that exist between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of India.

Azerbaijan-India relations
Map indicating locations of India and Azerbaijan

India
Azerbaijan
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of India in Baku, AzerbaijanEmbassy of Azerbaijan in New Delhi, India
Envoy
Indian Ambassador to Azerbaijan M Sridharan[1]Azerbaijani Ambassador to India Ashraf Shikhaliyev

History

India and Azerbaijan have age-old historical relations and shared traditions. The Ateshgah fire temple in the vicinity of Baku is a fine example. This medieval monument with Devanagari and Gurmukhi wall inscriptions is a surviving proof of the age-old relationship between the two countries. The trade links with India, led to renewed contacts of the Indian merchants heading towards Europe through the Silk Route.[2][3]

Economic relations

India's bilateral trade with Azerbaijan has been growing steadily in recent years. India has a well-established pharmaceutical industry in Azerbaijan and many Indian pharmaceutical companies operate out of Azerbaijan. Some items of direct and indirect imports from India include clothes and textiles, information technologies, food items and heavy machinery, electronic cards, steam boilers and other plant equipment.[4][5][6][7]

The volume of trade has increased from 50 million dollars (2005) to 250 million (2015). India's main import from Azerbaijan is crude oil.[7]

Energy Cooperation

India and Azerbaijan have pledged to explore future prospects in the renewable energy sector, energy efficiency and various upcoming projects in oil and gas and pipelines. Indian company GAIL has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Azerbaijani firm SOCAR to explore business opportunities in petrochemical projects.[8][9]

Gazvin-Rasht-Astara railway route

Both sides play a role in constructing the Gazvin-Rasht-Astara (Iran)-Astara (Azerbaijan) railway route as part of the International North–South Transport Corridor. Initially, it is proposed to transport about six million metric tonnes each year and more in the future through this route. It is projected to improve trade relations between Iran and Azerbaijan and at a further stage other countries including India and Russia may also benefit.[10]

Cultural relations

Cultural ties between Azerbaijan and India are close. The eminent Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi was well known from the times of Amir Khusrau, one of the famous poet and music composer in 1800s. Some other important names are Rashid Behbudov, a famous singer who was also the friend of the Indian actor Raj Kapoor. Azeri artist Rashid Behbudov also promoted Azeri music and art in both countries. Elmira Rahimova, an Azeri singer, also studied Indian dance and music while staying in India.

Embassy of India, Baku
Embassy of India, Baku
Address6A, Olimpia Street Ganjlik, Narimanov District Baku, AZ 1072 (Azerbaijan)
AmbassadorM Shridharan
Jurisdiction Azerbaijan
WebsiteOfficial website

The Embassy of India in Baku is a diplomatic mission of the Republic of India to Azerbaijan.[11][12]

Leadership

Ambassador is in charge of the embassy. As of August 29, 2023, M Shridharan is the current Ambassador of India to Azerbaijan.[13]

List of Ambassadors of India to Azerbaijan[14]
Sr. No Name Tenure
1. Dinkar Khullar 08-10-1999 to 18-12-2002
2. Jyoti S. Pande 06-02-2003 to 18-11-2006
3. B.R. Muthukumar 31-01-2007 to 31-09-2008
4. Debnath Shaw 28-12-2008 to 02-06-2012
5. B.M. Vinod Kumar 07-06-2012 to 31-01-2015
6. Sanjay Rana 05-10-2015 to 27-12-2018
7. B. Vanlalvawna 28-02-2019 till date

Jurisdiction

Embassy serves Azerbaijan region.[15]

Education

Scholarships are offered by the embassy to local nationals to study in India.[16]

Diplomatic relations

Former President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Baku during the Soviet era. India recognized Azerbaijan's independence in 1991. India's Permanent Mission in Baku was opened in 1999 and Azerbaijan's representative center was opened in New-Delhi in 2004.[7] The first bilateral agreement was signed in June 1998. The agreement was the "Economic and Technical Cooperation Treaty" which led to establishment of the Indian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental commission of trade. Other treaties include:[17][7]

  • Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (April 2007)
  • Agreement on Air Communication Between the Government of the Azerbaijan and the Government of India (April 2013)
  • Agreement on Legal and Judicial Assistance to Civil and Commercial Affairs Between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of India
  • Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
  • Treaty on Deliveries between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of India
  • Protocol on Cooperation Between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs
  • Protocol on the Ratification of the Treaty on Legal and Judicial Assistance for Civil and Commercial Affairs[7][17]

See also

References
  1. "M Sridharan IFS appointed Ambassador to Azerbaijan | Indian Bureaucracy is an Exclusive News Portal". 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  2. Scott Cameron Levi (2002), The Indian diaspora in Central Asia and its trade, 1550-1900, BRILL, ISBN 90-04-12320-2, ... George Forster ... On the 31st of March, I visited the Atashghah, or place of fire; and on making myself known to the Hindoo mendicants, who resided there, I was received among these sons of Brihma as a brother; an appellation they used on perceiving that I had acquired some knowledge of their mythology, and had visited their most sacred places of worship ...
  3. George Forster (1798), A journey from Bengal to England: through the northern part of India, Kashmire, Afghanistan, and Persia, and into Russia, by the Caspian-Sea, R. Faulder, ... A society of Moultan Hindoos, which has long been established in Baku, contributes largely to the circulation of its commerce; and with the Armenians they may be accounted the principal merchants of Shirwan ... this remark arose from a view of the Atashghah at Baku, where a Hindoo is found so deeply tinctured with the enthusiasm of religion, that though his nerves be constitutionally of a tender texture and his frame relaxed by age, he will journey through hostile regions from the Ganges to the Volga, to offer up prayer at the shrine of his God ...
  4. "India, Azerbaijan to explore opportunities in energy sector". The Hindu Business Line. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  5. "Department of Commerce, Government of India". commerce.nic.in. Archived from the original on 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  6. "Azerbaijan interested in developing partnership with India". AzerNews. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  7. "Hindistan-Azərbaycan: əlaqələrin hazırkı vəziyyəti və inkişaf perspektivləri | Newtimes.az – Analitik-informasiya portalı". newtimes.az. Archived from the original on 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  8. "Azerbaijan keen to meet India's energy needs: Envoy". 16 December 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  9. "Iran's crude oil swap supplies to India may flow via Baku, Russia's Astrakhan". TASS. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
  10. "Iran interested in rapid construction of Qazvin-Rasht-Astara railway". AzerNews. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  11. "Embassy of India, Baku, Azerbaijan". www.indianembassybaku.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  12. "Embassy of India in Baku celebrates 152nd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (PHOTO)". Trend.Az. 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  13. "IFS M. Sridharan Appointed as Next Ambassador of India to Azerbaijan". Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  14. "Embassy of India, Baku, Azerbaijan : Former Ambassadors". www.indianembassybaku.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  15. "MEA | Indian Missions Abroad | Indian Mission". www.mea.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  16. "Embassy of India, Buenos Aires, Argentina : Education/Scholarships". www.indembarg.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  17. "BILATERAL BRIEF India-Azerbaijan Relations" (PDF).
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