Embassy of India, Baku, Azerbaijan : Bilateral Brief

Bilateral Brief

India-Azerbaijan Relations

India and Azerbaijan have friendly relations, based on civilisational linkages, cultural affinities and shared values of understanding and respect for other cultures.

Highlights

India is the seventh largest trading partner for Azerbaijan, with bilateral trade at US$ 1.435 billion, in 2023

In 2023, India was the third largest destination for Azerbaijan’s crude oil.

In 2023, Azerbaijan received more than 115,000 tourists from India, nearly double the number of arrivals in 2022. India is the fourth largest source of inbound tourists for Azerbaijan after Russia, Türkiye and Iran. Leaving aside the neighbours, India is the largest source of tourists for Azerbaijan.

Direct flight connectivity between Delhi and Baku has increased to 10 flights a week. There are 4 direct flights a week between Mumbai and Baku.

ONGC Videsh Ltd has invested more than US$ 1.2 billion in acquiring stakes in the Azeri – Chirag - Gunashli (ACG) oil and gas fields and the Baku – Tbilisi - Ceyhan (BTC) pipe line.

Around 30 Indian movies and advertisements have been filmed at various locations in Azerbaijan in the last 4 years.

The famous Azerbaijani singer and actor, Rashid Behbudov, was a close friend of Raj Kapoor.

Historical Relations

The ‘Ateshgah’ fire temple in the vicinity of Baku is a fine example of the age-old historical relations and cultural exchanges between India and Azerbaijan. This 18^th century monument, with a much older history, has wall inscriptions in Devanagiri and Gurmukhi, and is a surviving proof of the trade links and hospitality that Indian merchants on the Silk Route to Europe enjoyed in Azerbaijani cities such as Baku and Ganja.

During the period when Azerbaijan was a part of the erstwhile Soviet Union, India’s ties with the then Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic were primarily through Moscow. India’s Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, former President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (as Vice President in 1956) and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (in 1961) visited the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

India recognized Azerbaijan as an independent country in December 1991, soon after it proclaimed its independence from the USSR. Diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan were established on 28 February 1992. The resident Indian Mission was opened in Baku in March 1999. Azerbaijan opened its resident Mission in New Delhi in October 2004.

Political Relations

India-Azerbaijan relations are friendly. Former Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, visited Baku for the NAM Summit from 24-26 October 2019, accompanied by EAM, Dr. S. Jaishankar. More recently, EAM met Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov on the sidelines of 19^th NAM Summit in Kampala on 19 January 2024. Former EAM, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, visited Azerbaijan from 4-6 Apr 2018 for attending NAM Ministerial Conference and for a bilateral visit. Hon’ble PM participated in the online NAM Summit on the theme “United against COVID-19” held at the initiative of Azerbaijani President, on 04 May 2020. Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State from Commerce and Industry visited Baku for the 6^th meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission, held on 25 Oct 2023.

There have been several Ministerial level visits from Azerbaijan to India since 1991. Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Elnur Mammadov visited India on 28-29 November 2022 for the Foreign Office Consultations, and again on 03-05 March 2023 to participate in Raisina Dialogue. Deputy Minister of Economy, Mr. Sahid Mammadov, visited India to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit from 16-19 January 2019. Mr. Mukhtar Babayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, visited Delhi to attend the 5^th Inter-Governmental Commission on 11-12 October 2018. Mr. Samir Sharifov, Minister of Finance visited India on 21 February 2018. Mr. Nagif Hamzayev, Member of Parliament, visited India under ICCR’s Distinguished Visitors’ Programme in August 2019.

Economic and Commercial Relations

Over the years, India’s bilateral trade with Azerbaijan has increased substantially from around US$ 50 million in 2005 to US$ 1.435 billion in 2023, with India becoming Azerbaijan's seventh largest trading partner after Italy, Türkiye, Russia, China, Germany and Israel. During the year, Azerbaijan’s exports to India were US$ 1.235 billion and imports from India were US$ 201 million.

In 2023, India was the third largest destination for Azerbaijan’s crude oil. India accounted for 7.6% of Azerbaijan’s total crude oil export worth US$ 1.227 billion.

ONGC Videsh Ltd has invested more than US$ 1.2 billion, since March 2013, in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil field and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipe line. Azerbaijani Investments in India have been US$ 57.6 million as of Nov 2022 by State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ).

There is a direct flight connectivity between Delhi and Baku, with ten flights a week – 7 operated by Indigo and 3 by Azerbaijan Airlines. Azerbaijan Airlines also operates 4 direct flights a week between Mumbai and Baku. In 2023, Azerbaijan received 117,302 tourists from India, which is nearly double the number of tourist arrivals in 2022 (60,731). India is now the fourth largest source of tourists for Azerbaijan after Russia, Türkiye and Iran. Leaving aside its neighbours, India is the largest source of inbound tourists for Azerbaijan.

Cooperation in Capacity Building and Education

Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, the Government of India offers about 30 fully-paid training courses to Azerbaijani officials every year. More than 230 Azerbaijani scholars have availed ITEC courses till Dec 2023. During the period of pandemic, these training programmes were switched to online mode and more than 200 Azerbaijani scholars attended e-ITEC programmes. India also provides scholarship slots to Azerbaijani students under the General Scholarship Scheme of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). Azerbaijani diplomats are also trained under the Professional Course for Foreign Diplomats (PCFD) in India. A Hindi teaching Center with the support of ICCR functioned at the Azerbaijan University of Languages (AUL) between October 2010 and November 2019. An India Centre is also functioning in the Institute of Literature of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS).

Cultural Cooperation

The cultural exchanges over ages between Azerbaijan and India have led to close cultural affinity and shared traditions. World renowned Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi had a profound influence on eminent Indian poets like Amir Khusrau. In recent past, the famous Azerbaijani artist, Rashid Behbudov, a noted tenor who switched to singing popular Azeri songs in European classical tradition, was a close friend of late Raj Kapoor. Indian intellectuals like Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore are well known in Azerbaijan.

Indian Community

The Indian community in Azerbaijan comprises of more than 1500 people, including professionals employed with international companies in the oil and gas sector, businessmen engaged in commodities trading, catering & restaurant business, and construction workers on short-term contracts. There are five Indian associations in Azerbaijan, viz., Indian Association Azerbaijan (IAA), Baku Malyalee Association (BMA), Baku Tamil Sangam (BTS), Azerbaijan Telugu Association (ATA), and Indian Student Association Azerbaijan (ISAA), which work in close association with the Embassy. They regularly hold social events to celebrate major Indian festivals and events. The Indian community is very active both professionally and socially and has integrated well with the local population.

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