To 140th anniversary of Balakhany - Black City oil pipeline

An international conference entitled "Russia and Azerbaijan. Development of the global oil industry. Events and people" was held in Moscow, at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas. The event was dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the commissioning of the first in the Russian Empire Balakhani - Black City oil pipeline and the 90th anniversary of the birth of an Azerbaijani scientist, an honorary oil industry worker of the USSR, academician Azad Mirzadzhanzade.

"The friendship between our peoples has no boundaries, no time limits. We hope that this will continue. We meet at scientific conferences; educational processes are taking place; the oil and gas companies of Russia and Azerbaijan also have good friendly contacts," the rector of the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Victor Martynov said.

”The oil contacts between Azerbaijan and Russia, starting from the times of the Empire, from the Nobel brothers, were and remain at a high level. When we lived in a single country, the work of oilmen was our common achievement. During the most difficult World War II, Baku’s oilmen provided the front with fuel and gasoline. All our commanders, including Georgy Zhukov, stressed that if there was no Baku oil and the heroic work of the Baku oil industry workers, the outcome of the war would be different. The oil industry can be compared to an art - regardless of the current situation both oilmen and people of art have to advance the oil industry and art, " the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu said.

He also shared his memories of Azad Mirzadzhanzade: "The outstanding scientist lived a bright life and left a huge legacy. These are not only scientific works, but students. He educated doctors of science, candidates of science, post-graduate students. I got very lucky to know him personally. In my diploma of the music professor, there is a signature of Azad Mirzadzhanzade. He was a chairman of the Higher Attestation Commission of Azerbaijan, and at the same time, he was the chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology. During the difficult years for Azerbaijan, after the USSR collapse, we often talked with him. He was also a great philosopher, thought a lot about what would happen after the collapse of such a big, powerful country like the USSR. Life was becoming better and going back to normal when our outstanding leader Heydar Aliyev returned to the leadership of Azerbaijan. He personally knew Azad Mirzajanzade and supported him in all his endeavors.”

The ambassador also thanked the leadership of Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas for the idea to name one of the audiences after Mirzadzhanzade: "I think we will turn to SOCAR and other structures to create a scholarship named after Mirzadzhanzade that would help students to learn. Today, there is a new generation that is more interested in the Internet than in books. The new generation may not know the name of Azad Mirzadzhanzade or another prominent Azerbaijani Farman Salmanov, who found oil in Siberia, which Russia currently uses. We must do everything possible so that the new generation knows these heroic people. Particularly those, thanks to who Baku became the concentration of the most advanced petroleum engineering and science. Today, we talked about the first oil pipeline in the Russian Empire, which was built by the Nobel brothers from Sabunchi to the Black City, the first Baku-Batumi pipeline. And now, when the huge pipelines are laid on the seabed, we must remember those who started this difficult industry.”

The head of the Rossotrudnichestvo department, Leonid Ezhov, added the following: "The Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo considers many youth programs. When there is such a continuity of generations that brings people together and continues to show that you can develop and move on together, this is very good. We suggest holding a youth forum and telling about the joint achievements with our friends, remembering once again that our victory in the Great Patriotic War was forged in Baku.”