“We have witnessed cooperation between our countries develop remarkably for the last 22 years. Notably, the Korean-Azerbaijani relationship was revitalized through the mutual visits by the Heads of State in 2006 and 2007 respectively. In 2012, President Mr. Ilham Aliyev visited Seoul again to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit. The economic partnership between our countries is progressing smoothly, with our bilateral trade volume increasing continuously. Korea has shared its development experiences with Azerbaijan, and its companies have shown keen interest in conducting business in this country. Moreover, cultural exchange is actively promoted. Our friendly alliance is getting stronger every year in multifaceted ways. My focus now is on ways to advance our existing relations to the next level, to which I will spare no efforts to achieve”, Korean ambassador to Azerbaijan Choi Suk-inn said in his interview to APA.
The ambassador said that the trade volume between the two countries reached 312 million US dollars last year: “During the 1st quarter of this year, the main export items from Korea were cars (64.1%), electrical appliances (11%), machinery and computers (6.5%), and plastic goods (5.8%) among others. Over the past decade, the trade volume between the two countries has increased ten folds. However, it is far behind its potential, and the two countries will further complement each other on the basis of close bilateral relations”.
The diplomat noted that there are around 230 Koreans in Azerbaijan: “Most of them are businessmen and their family members. Some work as Korean language lecturers at universities, and some are Korean students studying in Azerbaijan. In the non-oil field, there several Korean companies are working hard in Azerbaijan. Korean business activities are thriving especially in the construction area, which became even more visible ever since large-scale Korean companies such as Samsung Engineering and Halla Construction began their businesses in Azerbaijan last year. Now Samsung Engineering is building a fertilizer plant in Sumgayit, and Halla Engineering & Construction is constructing a new office building in Azersu”.
The ambassador added that Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is currently implementing the projects of establishing an e-government educational center of Azerbaijan, an electronic education network and digital multimedia infrastructure at Nakhchivan State University, and the educational information system of the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan with the purpose of capacity-building for teachers: “In April of this year, two loan agreements were signed in Baku between the two countries. The Korea Eximbank allocated 44 million US dollars to the Azersu for the construction of the Pirshaghi Sewage Treatment Plant, and 23 million US dollars to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Education for the establishment of a vocational training center. The two projects are financed by the Economic Development Cooperation Fund of the Republic of Korea, which will further extend the areas of cooperation between the two countries”.
Answering the question about the delay of the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, Choi Suk-Inn said he knows very well how important the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is for Azerbaijan: “I sincerely hope that the conflict will be peacefully resolved as soon as possible. This year our Embassy is organizing several events with participation from Korean companies conducting business in Azerbaijan, aimed to help deepen the understanding between Korean and Azerbaijani people. As a part of these efforts and for the children of IDPs settled in Yevlakh, our Embassy hosted the "Children Want Peace" Essay and Drawing Contest on June 1st, designated as the International Day for Protection of Children. It was a unique opportunity for the participants to gain a better understanding of each culture, with Embassy staff and Korean companies` employees interacting with young children of IDPs and sharing meals. This year we are planning to hold two additional events, similar in content. During my visit to Yevlakh, the IDPs family I met left a lasting impression. By spending time with the family members and hearing their stories, I had the opportunity to truly understand the difficulties they must have endured. At the same time, I was impressed by the high level of care provided by the Azerbaijani government to the IDPs”.
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