ETHNIC LANDSCAPE AZERBAIJANI STYLE…

Neighbourhoods based on an ethnic principle. Only quite recently it seemed to us that such a state of affairs only existed in far-off USA. But paradoxical as it may sound, townships and neighbourhoods where there is a dense population of migrants who have come to our country to find a job have also started to emerge more often in Azerbaijan. This is undeniable proof of the country's prosperity, something that was mentioned at a conference held in the Baku office of the UN International Organization of Migrants (IOM). 

The meeting, which was devoted to aspects of migration that are occurring in Azerbaijan, was attended by representatives of the IOM, the Azerbaijani Migration Service, the Interior Ministry and non-governmental organizations.

Surprisingly, the main theme of the conference was the question of the naturalization of foreigners in Azerbaijan, or to put it more simply, the adoption of Azerbaijani citizenship. And judging by recent figures, the numbers of those wishing to adopt Azerbaijani citizenship are growing every year. This is natural, because there are a sufficient number of foreign citizens in our country who have lived here for many years. They have studied the language and acquired property, in other words they have integrated into Azerbaijani society. And such processes have been evident ever since Azerbaijan became an independent state - borders opened and new ethnic communities which were unusual for Azerbaijan were formed in the country. Along with Jewish, Russian and Tatar communities and other ethnic minorities there emerged communities from representatives of the European countries and Central and South-east Asia.  

How does the new ethnic map of Azerbaijan appear today? The most numerous of the new communities in Azerbaijan is the Turkish community, with thousands of Turkish citizens having lived here regularly and for quite a long time. During that time they have been able to occupy a niche in Azerbaijani society, at the same time preserving their ethnic and cultural traits. The Turkish community consists basically of businessmen, managers and doctors. They are generally well off, with higher and secondary education.

Unlike the Turkish "Azerbaijanis", the Iranian community has set up its own neighbourhood on Zivar bey Ahmadbayov Street (formerly Gubanov) in Baku. Along the street there are "Iran neymatlari" shops, Iranian fast-food shops and tourist agencies. The Iranian community is ethnically diverse. Among Iranian entrepreneurs and doctors there are also ethnic Azeris, Gilaks and Farsis. Incidentally, the Farsis prefer to live as a tight-knit group in Baku. In fact, they have acquired a "Stalinka" block near the conservatory.

Dr Muhammed, a dentist from Tabriz, has been living with his wife and children in Baku for nine years. He says that the community is growing year by year. "Look how many Iranians go to Iranian concerts in Baku," he says. The Iranian expert points out that various questions with local state bureaucrats are starting to be solved more quickly, and that "in Azerbaijan we are all united by a hatred towards the theocratic regime in the IRI and a love for your country".

His friend, an ethnic Farsi Mousheng Kiaryamiani, believes that for him Azerbaijan is an ideal country to live in. There is freedom here and you have a well-balanced and stable business system. "At the same time I can go and see my relatives in Iran whenever I want," he says. Mousheng admits that in Tehran, with its multi-million population, he would earn more than he does in Baku, but there is no freedom there and no-one has the right to be himself. Everything must be done at the whim of the theocrats - from the colour of one's clothes to the choice of Internet sites. He says that the adoption of a law on dual citizenship would encourage the flow of a considerable portion of Iranian capital to Azerbaijan. "Azerbaijan is climatically more comfortable and a sufficiently westernized and geographically closer country than the states of the Persian Gulf, where Iranian businessmen invest their money," Mousheng notes.

The Azerbaijani Hindu community is very interesting and unique. Indians and Pakistanis live mainly in the suburbs of Baku. According to the Indian embassy, almost a thousand Hindus live and work in Baku, and there are about 3-4,000 Pakistanis here. Among the Hindus in Azerbaijan there are very reputable doctors, teachers and businessmen. At the annual "Indian Market" in Baku one businessman from Delhi joked that where there are Brits there are Indians. "In Baku there are many English and Scottish people, so there must be a lot of Hindus." The Pakistanis are practically wholly based in the capital's markets.

As far as the Chinese community is concerned, they are a fairly numerous group consisting mainly of people from the Chinese provinces. Many Chinese have settled and raised families in Azerbaijan. At the beginning of the year in the southernmost part of Azerbaijan - Astara District - Talysh girls and Chinese boys played at a wedding. The local people said that Chinese who had small businesses in various areas, and Chinese working for the Salyan Oil Company in Salyan District, came to the wedding. For a while Astara was a Chinese town. People with Asiatic features filled the local tea houses and coffee bars, shops, hotels and even the local Olympic complex.

Incidentally, the oldest Asian ethnic community in Azerbaijan is the Vietnamese community. They are often taken for Chinese. About 50 Vietnamese families have been living in Azerbaijan for more than 20 years. They are virtually all graduates from the Petrochemical College which existed in Soviet times. The older generation recall the famous "Nun Vun Tao" caf? in the Ahmedli district, so called in honour of Soviet-Vietnamese friendship. At the time no-one had any idea what it meant. After the collapse of the USSR the college closed and its south-east Asian graduates, because there was no Vietnamese embassy in Azerbaijan and they had no money to go home, stayed here and were forced into petty trading. Later some of them opened clothes shops in various parts of Baku. In a Vietnamese family all jobs are strictly distributed. The wife does the selling and the husband is the supplier. The Azerbaijani Vietnamese raised families and a third generation - their grandchildren - is emerging. Their main desire is naturalization. There are strong ethnic traditions within this community. Very rarely do Vietnamese marry people of other ethnic groups. In the last 20 years only two Vietnamese men have married Azerbaijanis and two Vietnamese women have married Azerbaijanis. The Vietnamese live in Baku's Yasamal District in the so-called "dagli mahallesi". Incidentally, the people in this district have a great affection for them.

Mention should also be made of the development of the Georgian community in Baku. More and more Georgians from various parts of that country prefer to open restaurants and cafes in Baku. This enriches the number of ethnic cuisines and the cultural diversity as a whole in the Azerbaijani capital.

All these processes show that Azerbaijan is indeed a tolerant and multi-cultural country, in which one can integrate and work whilst preserving one's ethnic identity. The shaping of the new ethnic communities is a clear confirmation of the absence in Azerbaijan of inter-ethnic and inter-denominational differences, and the presence of a conducive environment for peaceful coexistence and the development of different cultures.