Azerbaijanis in Russia

By Vestnik Kavkaza

A round-table discussion “Azerbaijanis in Russia: business, culture, charity” was held in Moscow yesterday. Experts discussed the projects, interests and future of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Russia.

“This question is closely connected with a wider context – relations between two states which are strategic partners not only in the post-Soviet area, but also in a wider global context,” Alexei Vlasov, the moderator of the event, deputy dean of the History Department of MSU, executive director of the political scientific center “North-South” and editor-in-chief of Vestnik Kavkaza said.

“Centuries-long relations exist between Azerbaijan and Russia. Of course, for two centuries, when Azerbaijan was within the Soviet Union a lot was done by our ancestors. That is why today Azerbaijan treats Russia specially, the Russian language, which is one of the main languages in the country along with Azerbaijani, the language of education,” the associate professor of the History Department of MSU Ismail Agakishiyev says. “There are Russian-speaking intellectuals who are well-known in Russia. These are Chingiz Abdullayev, Tair Salakhov.”

Agakishiyev reminded that Azerbaijanis, unlike other South Caucasus peoples – Georgians and Armenians – began to live in Russia later: “A major Diaspora structure appeared only at the end of the 1990s. We should stress the special role of Russia when Azerbaijan experienced economic collapse. Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis found jobs in Russia. We cannot be forgotten. Today the biggest Russian Diaspora is living in Azerbaijan in comparison with Georgia and Armenia. If about 3 thousand Russians live in Armenia, in Azerbaijan 150 thousand Russians live. Every university of Azerbaijan has a Russian segment. The most popular newspapers are Zerkalo and Echo. It is not a tribute, it is the natural existence of the Russian language and the Russians in Azerbaijan. Every Azerbaijani knows what Russia is. Moscow remains not a capital of a foreign state, but something native for many Azerbaijanis. This is natural, because Moscow had been the capital of the Soviet Union for 70 years. It played a big role in the history of Russia and the Soviet Union.”

Agakishiyev recalled the participation of the Karabakh Regiment in the Patriotic War of 1812; he also turned to the Great Patriotic War, during which 70% of the oil for the front was provided by Baku: “The Minister of Industry of Germany noted that one of the reasons for their failure in the war was lack of oil. From this point of view, Baku was very important. We do not forget the role and importance of Russian culture, Russian literature or Russian education, due to which a civilian Azerbaijani intellectual environment was formed in the 19th and the early 20th centuries. We remember the attention paid to establishing Russian-Tatar schools. Our current best schools began from those Russian-Tatar schools. We do not forget the seminary in Gori, which played the role of Tsarskoe Selo for forming the Soviet intellectual environment for Azerbaijanis. Prominent Azerbaijani intellectuals originated from there, it played a big role in the history of Azerbaijan. Due to this, Azerbaijanis created the first comedy in the East, the first drama play, the first movies, the first theatre, and even the first republic in the Muslim and Turk world. Due to the policy which the Soviet Union provided, Azerbaijan gained its independence and that is the greatest treasure which Azerbaijanis have today.”

Speaking about the perception of Azerbaijan by modern young people, Agakishiyev noted: “In Soviet times, before the 1980s, there was not much information about Azerbaijanis. A lot has changed, due to wide-scale PR of the achievements which Azerbaijan managed to reach in the 1970-1980s in the economy and culture thanks to Heydar Aliyev. Before 1969 Azerbaijan was a underdeveloped republic, but when Heydar Aliyev headed the Azerbaijani SSR, a paradoxical situation appeared: stagnation shrouded the whole country, but Azerbaijan experienced a big economic boom. When central television began broadcasting programs about Azerbaijan and its achievements, Russian people began to learn about Azerbaijanis. In the early 1980s I served in army; when they asked my nationality, they were surprised. They knew Georgians and Armenians, but no Azerbaijanis. From the end of the 1970s and the 1980s, Azerbaijanis began to be recognized as a nation.

Europe and the world learned about Azerbaijanis after Heydar Aliyev’s return to power – the oil contract was signed – and the same policy continued under Ilham Aliyev. If we take the whole youth of Russia and the majority of the Russian population, we cannot say representatives of the Russian people know Azerbaijan and Baku as well as Azerbaijanis know Moscow and Russia. I am a tutor and I sometimes hear from students that Nazarbayev is President of the Caucasus. However, there are young people who are interested in Azerbaijan.”

In 2008 the Azerbaijani Youth Union of Russia (AMOR) was established with the support of the Youth Ministry of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Youth and Sport of Russia. “The main goal of our organization was support of the right for integration of our young people into the society where they study, where they live,” the deputy chairman of AMOR, Emin Gadzhiyev, says. “Today we note a tendency of assimilation – young people feel they are more Russians than Azerbaijanis. We are glad that we are not foreigners here; we feel at home here. At the same time, we try to make our young people remember their historic roots, their culture, traditions. In 30 Moscow universities Azerbaijani student clubs have been established, they provide social work, build contacts with Azerbaijani students. Our organization has more than 70 offices in regions of the RF. The main goal is attraction. We attract Russian students to participate in our projects and arrangements. For example, annually we organize a mini-football tournament – the Heydar Aliyev Cup. It was initiated by the chairwoman of the organization Leila Aliyeva, he had the right to this. We have 32 teams, and at least two of six players of every team are Russians, we even have foreigners. We do not build national obstacles.

Recently we have held a winter school on leadership and active civil participation. It was conducted by tutors of the Council of Europe. We were supported by the Youth Affairs Federal Agency and the National Council of Youth and Children Unions of Russia. We organized the enrolment, but didn’t have any national restrictions. We are open to everybody and invite everybody, including Russian guys, for cooperation and communication.”

Speaking about teaching the history of Azerbaijan to Russian students in MSU and RSUH, Ismail Agakishiyev, stated: “History doesn’t teach only dilettantes. If a person doesn’t know his history, the history of his nation, the cultures of his nation, he cannot have an interest in the history and culture of any other nation. History teaches us that any Russian, any Azerbaijani, has to love his language, his history, his motherland. Of course a lot of work has to be done for this.

I spent 8 years in the History Department of MSU – five years as a student and three years in the post-graduate school – and I had never heard a lecture on the history of Azerbaijan or the history of Central Asia. I listened to lectures on various countries, but for my own history.

I would like to thank the dean of the History Department of MSU, Sergey Karpov, the president of RSUH Efim Pivovar, and Alexei Vlasov. The sub-department of the CIS countries’ history is functioning well in the History Department. The History Department is very conservative. For 50 years no new sub-departments have appeared at the History Department. Establishing this sub-department is a great success, both for Russia and Azerbaijan.

Today the sub-department of the Post-Soviet countries’ history is working in RSUH, where the Azerbaijani language and geography are being studied.

Interest is significant. Of course, we don't have a hundred students studying the history of Azerbaijan; there are only a few people every year, but they are true patriots of Azerbaijan, true friends of Azerbaijan. A person who is studying the history and language of Azerbaijan will apparently be a big friend of Azerbaijan. This is a foundation for our current friendship. We should treat it carefully and tenderly, as there are not only supporters, but opponents of this friendship. Each of us must do his best to preserve a friendship which wasn’t started by us, but we should continue it.”

Alexei Vlasov said that a web-site about the history, culture, traditions, and customs of Azerbaijan was established within the project “Russia for Everybody”: “Of course the content is being created, and the web-site is developing. I think in the near future new content will appear. At the same time, I believe there should be a topic – a portrait of the Diaspora. A portrait of the Diaspora from the point of view of the social aspect – what is a young Azerbaijani who is studying and living in Russia?”

Speaking about priorities for young Azerbaijanis in Russia, Emin Gadzhiyev said that “in Soviet times Azerbaijanis came to Moscow to get a higher medical education. There are many Azerbaijani doctors, lawyers, economists in Russia. More than 6 thousand Azerbaijani students are studying in Russia today. Many of them – in three medical universities of Moscow – in the Sechenov Academy, in the Pirogov Medical University, and University of Medicine and Dentistry. About 300 Azerbaijanis are studying in each of them. Today the Department of Justice is very popular, especially “Civil Law.” Azerbaijan has a state program of studying abroad. It is in operation until 2015, and it will apparently be continued. Students learn professions which Azerbaijan needs. Many students are being sent to Western universities and are studying technical professions. However, Bauman University has students from Azerbaijan as well, under this program.”

At the same time, the foundation of the partnership is still economic ties. Speaking about the share of Azerbaijani businessmen in serious business-projects and involvement of Azerbaijani business in charity, Ismail Agakishiyev noted: “The main subject of business is a businessman – not capital, but the person who owns the capital, an entrepreneur. Only 6-7% of people in the world have this talent and the skills to be a businessman. The South Caucasus is small, but many businessmen originate from it. During the economic collapse a lot of businessmen left Azerbaijan, and Russia has gained a unique treasure. A peculiarity of business is that it stands above ethnic belonging.

As for charity, a peculiarity of Islam is support for people. This religion denies and considers usury the hardest crime – to take money and give it at interest. It is a war against God, Allah. Every person should allocate money for charity from his revenues. But it is not common to discuss charity. If you don’t talk about this, it is a charitable deed. If you talk about this, it is PR. I can tell you that 90% of Azerbaijanis living in Russia help people.

I don’t see any problem which could prevent Russia and Azerbaijan from being real allies at state level. I can see a problem of certain people who don’t want this. From the foundation of our Diaspora in Russia - Heydar Aliyev and Vladimir Putin were the initiators of it - Putin said that the Azerbaijani Diaspora should lobby the interests of Azerbaijan in Russia and the interests of Russia in Azerbaijan. The attention and special attitude of Russia to Azerbaijan are confirmed by the Order of St. Andrew which was awarded to Heydar Aliyev.”

Answering a question on differences inside the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Russia, Agakishiyev noted: “If we take Azerbaijanis who live in Derbent or Astrakhan, there are certain differences even in their languages. There are intensive relations between regions of Russia and Azerbaijan as well. I would like to express gratitude to the administration of the Russian office of the Heydar Aliyev Fund, Leila Aliyeva, and the authorities of AMOR which do a lot in the regions – Yekaterinburg, Ulyanovsk, Astrakhan, Volgograd. Azerbaijan invests in the economy of the North Caucasus, where the unemployment rate is huge, especially among young people. Good relations exist between Chechnya and Azerbaijan. Ramzan Kadyrov once said: “I cannot reconstruct Grozny, but I will construct a better city.” And it is built. As a Russian citizen and as a resident of Baku, I was glad to see a Baku Street in Grozny. I saw buildings constructed from Baku white stone. I was glad when the head of Ingushetia spoke about investments by Azerbaijan and those Azerbaijanis who fought in the Caucasus and defended Ingushetia. I was glad when a book about Aziz Aliyev, an Azerbaijani who headed Dagestan’s regional committee during the Great Patriotic War, was published in Dagestan. There is no state which would have such warm relations with Azerbaijan as Russia, I mean diasporal, historic, cultural, economic relations.”

Emphasizing the contribution by Azerbaijanis to the development of Russia, Agakishiyev remembered the “Molotov cocktail”, invented by an Azerbaijani, which was a dangerous weapon during the Great Patriotic War: “We not only provided the country with oil, we worked and did a lot. As for oil industrialization and “the second Baku” and Tyumen oil, it is about Azerbaijanis. I saw a list of top managers of the oil and gas industry a couple of years ago, and more than half of them were from Baku. We remember David Pashayev, a Hero of Russia who headed the “North Engineering Plant” in Severodvinsk. And there are many such people.”

Agakishiyev believes that the interest of Russian intellectuals in Azerbaijan is confirmed by the recent exhibition “Fly to Baku”: “I saw the best people of Russian society there. They came because it was interesting. You cannot attract these people with something insignificant. 98% of the visitors were not Azerbaijanis. This is our culture, and we are proud to see such an attitude to our culture.”

“The exhibition lasted 10 days, and every day 2000 visitors attended it,” Emin Gadzhiyev adds. “As for joint arrangements, we have recently organized a chess tournament together with the Moscow Nationalities House. In 2007 Leila Aliyeva initiated a trip by students of MGIMO to Baku, when she was a student. About the 10 best students were invited to Baku, according to the university administration’s choice. When we founded our own organization, we continued this tendency within AMOR. Annually we invited students from Moscow and regional universities. This year we plan to organize workshops in Baku. We are interested in spreading truthful information about Azerbaijan in Russia. We plan to hold the first Health Forum of AMOR, in which Russian students, professors, academicians of the RAS will take part. All our arrangements involve not only Azerbaijanis.

“There is a creative group in the History Department, which prepares concerts for veterans of the Great Patriotic War,” Ismail Agakishiyev says. “They wear uniforms of those times. Two years ago they performed in Baku in front of 120 veterans, the youngest of them was 85. After the performance the guys kneeled and it touched everyone deeply.

It was organized due to the History Department, the Fund, and AMOR. In general these young people showed the embassy, serious structures in Baku, Rossotrudnichestvo, and so on that they can do it, and the structures were glad to help them.”

“Heydar Aliyev was an initiator of the Diaspora structure in Russia,” Agakishiyev thinks. “He sent Azerbaijanis to study – 700 people annually – at Russian universities. I am one of them. Heydar Aliyev told us before we left: “Stay there!” We didn’t understand why we should do it; but he saw something that ordinary people cannot see. We stayed here and built a bridge between Russia and Azerbaijan – our Diaspora.”