Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası), is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Its capital is Baku, the Caspian Sea coastal city. Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south.The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (an exclave of Azerbaijan) borders Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey to the northwest. The Nagorno-Karabakh region in the southwest of Azerbaijan proper declared itself independent from Azerbaijan in 1991, but it is not recognized by any nation and considered a legal part of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is a secular state, and and has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001. The Azerbaijani people (or simply Azeris) are the majority population, most of whom (about 70%) are traditionally adherents of Shi'a Islam. The remaining Muslims are Sunni. Other religions include Russian Orthodoxy(2.5%), Armenian Orthodoxy (2.3%), other (6%). The country is formally an emerging democracy, but with strong authoritarian rule.

Its official language is Azerbaijani.

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• Azerbaijan doesn't want to be enemies with any country. At the same time, we will not become victim to another country's policies.
  • Heydar Aliyev

• Some people think we should be able to establish democracy in a short time, but that's impossible. Azerbaijan is a young nation and democracy is a new concept. The U.S. has been advancing on the path of democracy for a long time - more than 200 years. You've achieved a lot, but you're still working on it. Democracy is not an apple you buy at the market and bring back home.
  • Heydar Aliyev

• Seven years have passed since the Khojali tragedy. On that dreadful night [February 26, 1992], Armenian military units supported by Russia's 366th infantry regiment, razed the Azerbaijani town of Khojali and massacred its peaceful, innocent residents including a considerable number of the elderly, women and children. In reality, the Khojali tragedy is one of the greatest human atrocities of the 20th century. Every effort must be made to seek the world community's unbiased and resolute position regarding this genocide. On this day of National Mourning, I bow before the sacred spirit of these innocent victims and express my deepest condolences to their families and relatives and to our nation. May God rest their souls.
  • Heydar Aliyev

• The world has closed it's eyes to the humanitarian catastrophe in Azerbaijan, where every seventh citizen is a refugee
  • Leonid Kuchma, the former Ukrainian president.

• Shusha is called the cradle of music and poetry. Almost all the famous singers and musicians of Azerbaijan are natives of Shusha.
  • Samad Vurgun, Azeri poet

• Imagine a town in the mountains, shrouded in greenery in spring and summer; and in mist and snow in autumn and winter. This is my town.
  • Yousif Vezir Chamanzaminli (1887-1943), - prominent Azeri writer and public figure