A NEW LEVEL

Before proceeding to the interview, the ambassador told us about his particular attitude towards reporters. "I have special feelings for reporters since my brother worked as the editor-in-chief of an English-language newspaper in Seoul. Furthermore, my first assignment, which I was given 34 years ago, was associated with the press too. Back then, I as a diplomat was involved in the preparation of press releases and distribution of information," Choi Suk-inn, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Azerbaijan, recalled the beginning of his diplomatic career. The diplomat's words were reassuring, as they meant that the interview would be lively and interesting, not limited to the diplomatic lexicon. With this in mind, we started a conversation with the ambassador.

- Mr. Ambassador, this year marks the 22nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and the Republic of Korea. How would you evaluate the current state of relations between Baku and Seoul?

- During the past two decades, our relationship has advanced significantly and is bearing fruit through cooperation in various fields. Now it is high time to take our relations to the next level on the basis of mutual understanding between the Korean and Azerbaijani people.

I will try my best to expand the mutually beneficial and cooperative ties that have rapidly developed in the diverse fields of politics, economy, culture, education, etc. over the past 22 years.

- In preparing for an interview with you, I acquainted myself with a number of materials, and I got the impression that economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Republic of Korea is ahead of the level of political relations. What is your opinion on this?

- I think the political relations between Baku and Seoul have been developing consistently. Reciprocal visits of the heads of our respective states have become the basis for strengthening the relations between the two countries. The former Korean president paid a visit to Baku, and the Azerbaijani president has been in Korea twice - once on a state visit, the other time within the framework of the Nuclear Security Summit.

Our political cooperation has influenced the defence sector too. In December last year, the Azerbaijani Minister of Defence visited Korea, and before that, in August, the first deputy Defence Minister of the Republic of Korea was on a visit to Baku. Our delegation will also participate in the defence industry exhibition in Baku in September. The delegation will include representatives of the state agency for procurement and six private companies that are interested in selling their products in Azerbaijan.

We are also witnessing a growing number of mutual visits of parliamentarians. In the spring of this year, a delegation of the Azeri parliament, headed by the First Vice Speaker, visited Korea. In the past year, six delegations of Korean parliamentarians visited Azerbaijan. Due to internal political processes or, more precisely, the local elections, the Korean parliamentarians have not come to Baku this year but I hope that such visits will take place in the second half of the year.

- One of the main indicators of successful bilateral relations is the volume of trade turnover. Bilateral turnover between Azerbaijan and Korea totalled 300m US dollars in 2013. Does this figure correspond to the economic capacity of the two countries and the current level of political relations between Azerbaijan and Korea?

- The volume of trade turnover between the two countries has increased rapidly over a decade. In 2005, bilateral trade only amounted to 32m US dollars. But last year's trade volume recorded 312m US dollars, marking a 10-fold increase over that of 2005.

Despite such a rapid increase, the current trade volume is far behind its full potential considering the economic and political cooperation levels between the two countries. We expect more active trade activities to be carried out in the future.

- In your opinion, what are the untapped bilateral opportunities that the two countries can explore?

- With the relentless effort to diversify its economy, Azerbaijan has demonstrated huge potential for successful cooperation with Korea in the components-materials and machinery & equipment industry.

A reliable supply of competitive and high-quality components, materials, machineries, and equipments is indeed essential in the development of non-oil industries, and Korean industries in this field are competitive not only in their technology but also in the prices they can offer. I believe that Korea will be the perfect partner to Azerbaijan in its implementation of economic and industrial development of the country.

- Azerbaijan is now recognised as a potential investor among regional and world countries. In your opinion, which sectors of Korean economy look the most promising for Azerbaijani investments?

- In the efforts to increase its investment in the Asia Pacific region, the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) purchased property in Seoul for 447m US dollars last April. SOFAZ valued Korea as an attractive investment destination in this region. Besides the real estate sector, many foreigners invest in the components-materials industry among various industrial sectors in Korea.

- Korean financial institutions are actively participating in realization of many projects in Azerbaijan. What is the total amount of Korean credits to Azerbaijan? Which spheres of economy are the most common for these projects? What projects are in the planning state now?

- Korean commercial credits to Azerbaijan do not exist at the current stage. As a baby step to start our cooperation in the financial area and in an effort to deepen our cooperation, two loan agreements were signed in April.

By these agreements, the Korea Eximbank allocated 44m US dollars to the Azersu OJSC for the construction of the Pirsagi Sewage Treatment Plant and 23m US dollars to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Education for the establishment of a vocational training centre. The two projects will start to be implemented this year through the Economic Development Cooperation Fund. Not only EDCF's favourable interest rate is nominal but also its repayment period is more than several decades including a 10-year grace period.

- How do you evaluate investment and business climate in Azerbaijan from the point of view of Korean businesses' interests? What should be done to attract more Korean investments to the economy of Azerbaijan?

- The investment and business climate in Azerbaijan is rapidly improving with the continued efforts of its government. It is well on the long path to a fully diversified economy, to say the least.

To attract more investment from Korean companies, it is desirable to select the specific types of businesses for inviting investment and to list the companies. Since bilateral cooperation in this regard has been set in motion recently, direct contact and explanation to target companies seem to be more effective. Also, a model success story of a Korean company would attract many Korean investors to Azerbaijan.

Korean companies are carrying out their businesses in several transport projects in Azerbaijan. Most notably, SK C&C established the Intelligence Transport Management System in Baku, the Ultra Construction Company finished the Ganca-Yevlax highway expansion project, and Daewoo International supplied buses for public transportation in Baku.

Further, Korean companies are also seeking business opportunities in the areas of subways, trams, and railways. In Seoul alone, there are nine metro lines and almost four hundred stations. Korea has developed many kinds of state-of-the-art technology for railway systems including high-speed trains with maximum speed of over 400 kilometres per hour. I see great potential for bilateral cooperation in this transport sector.

- What kind of innovations and new technologies could Korea offer to Azerbaijan? Are there any specific initiatives ready to be implemented in the near future?

- Korea leads the world in the fields of ICT and e-Government. Its experience in ICT is based on strategic efforts by both the government and businesses, and many world-class Korean firms with global capabilities have demonstrated their interest in taking part in Azerbaijan's economic development.

- As a citizen of the country that has achieved great heights in ICT, how do you evaluate the development of the Internet and high technologies in Azerbaijan?

- I can tell you this: using the Internet here, I see that its level is good enough, though it is not just as good as in Korea. However, given the fact that Azerbaijan has gained its independence as recently as 22 years ago, the advances in the field of ICT and industrialisation are quite significant.

- According to the United Nations E-Government Survey 2014: E-Government for the Future We Want, Azerbaijan ranks 68th outstripping China and Turkey. Taking into consideration South Korea's leading position in the ICT sector and E-Government, what projects could your country offer to Azerbaijan?

- Korea took the lead in the world's e-government ranking for the first time in 2010, and is again the top performer in 2014. Azerbaijan is listed as one of the "biggest improver" in the e-government survey by the UN. Korea has shared its experience and know-how with Azerbaijan for the establishment and progress of the country's e-government system.

Currently, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is implementing the project for establishing an e-government education centre in Azerbaijan's Ministry of Communication and High Technologies, and is providing several related training programs for Azerbaijani government officials.

Korea could also contribute to the efforts to improve e-government performance in diverse systems and operations in Azerbaijan, such as the e-procurement system and integrated financial management information system.

- As far as we know, under the auspices of the Korean government and businesses, the educational projects are also being implemented in Azerbaijan. Could you tell about these projects, as well as about possible future initiatives in this field?

- Samsung Electronics, SK telecom and KT implemented three pilot projects of "smart school" in Baku respectively. The Smart school is a kind of ICT-based advanced classroom equipped with ICT devices and software for the improvement of teaching and learning effectiveness.

Furthermore, KOICA has been working with Azerbaijan's Ministry of Education. KOICA recently established an educational information system in Technical University and is now focusing on the project to establish electronic education network and digital multimedia infrastructure in Naxcivan State University. As the next step, KOICA is preparing a project aimed at building teachers' capacities and establishing an educational information system in Azerbaijan's Ministry of Education.

I further hope that future initiatives in the education field will bear successful outcomes as in current projects.

- Medical industry is quite developed in Korea. Do Korean medical institutions have any investment plans in Azerbaijan?

- Two Korean doctors are working at Oriental Medical Hospital operated by the SEBA (Seoul-Baku) Azerbaijan-Korean Cultural Exchange Association. As is proven by the case, the potential for cooperation is also significant in the medical industry. In this context, I am confident that the cooperation between our two countries will further extend to the medical industry in the future.

 We have witnessed a remarkable development in bilateral cooperation during the past 22 years. And if cooperation is further realised in even more promising fields, the volume and depth of cooperation in every field will increase hand-in-hand in the future.

- Azerbaijan's main problem is the Karabakh conflict. While Korea is not directly involved in the settling of this conflict, you are helping Azerbaijan, as far as I know, to eliminate the consequences of the conflict...

- This year, our embassy started to carry out activities for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Such activities are held in schools, where we give school bags and other supplies to first-graders participating in the projects. Korean companies have also joined the initiative. With this project, the Korean people and the government show their sensitivity to the issue of internally displaced persons. The first such event was held in Yevlax, the second one will be held in Ganca in September, and then in Mingacevir in October-November.

- You said you talked to IDPs. To what extent is support to IDPs in Azerbaijan provided by the state is noticeable from outside?

- I was in Yevlax the day before our event. There, I visited an IDP family and the school where the event was to take place. I was greatly impressed by support to in-migrants offered by your country. The apartment for IDPs was very nice and well equipped. I would even say that this apartment was better than mine in Seoul was. The same applies to the school. Usually, when speaking about refugees, the first thing that comes to mind are people living in tents, suffering from lack of food, water, sleeping places. But I was in a completely different situation in Yevlax.

- You noted that the issue of refugees is treated very sensitively in Korea too. In your opinion, is it possible that the Karabakh conflict will last for decades, just as the Korean conflict does, or does this conflict have a solution still?

- I recently heard that the ceasefire was broken on the front line; there are casualties. It is difficult to say how long the conflict will last. But I think that a solution can be found. The main thing is that the parties to the conflict should meet and discuss the problem and reach a peaceful solution.