POLITICS
AZERBAIJAN`S CONSUL GENERAL SPEAKS AT UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO
Baku, 17 October (AZERTAC). The Consul General of Azerbaijan spoke last Thursday at University of San Diego about continuing efforts to create alternative energy sources and build a stronger society within the country and a stronger community throughout the Caucasus region of Asia.
Azerbaijan is now a main distributor of energy to Russia, Turkey and Georgia and hopes to expand to Europe in the future. Though only about the size of Maine, the country has become very influential in its region and is ahead of its time in researching alternative energy sources while maintaining the beauty of its homeland, which contains nine distinct climatic zones. The country also had the fastest growing GDP in the world in 2007.
“It is not that you have energy resources, it is how you use it, and Azerbaijan has been using it for the good,” Suleymanov said. “We invest our profits into new technologies because the government understands that oil is finite. We are not going to rely on oil forever. We want to turn black gold into human gold.”
He said the Secretary of State of the Vatican called Azerbaijan an example of tolerance. He said: “We were the only nation whose troops served in Iraq, and we are serving today in Afghanistan. We were the first republic of the Muslim world in 1918. We granted equal rights to women to vote in 1919.”
“America`s behavior towards Iraq has also been a question, to come so convincingly to our nations and pull us over into Iraq and then simply turn around. And of course we know the U.S. could be more active in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We know that America is not utilizing 100 percent of its abilities to do that.”