Culture in Austro-Azerbaijan bilateral contacts
Culture in Austro-Azerbaijan bilateral contacts

Summary/Abstract: The paper characterizes bilateral relations between Austria and Azerbaijan, with particular emphasis on culture as a field of cooperation of the two countries. Azerbaijan is an important power in the South Caucasus due to its strategic geographic location and ample energy resources, but it faces challenges to its stability, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh included. Austrian diplomacy has long been developing relations with the Caucasus states, adopting a clear stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The main research problem tackled in the paper concerns the role of culture in bilateral relations between Austria and Azerbaijan. The adopted research hypothesis focuses on the scope of support that can be extended by a country with considerable experience in the growth and promotion of its culture to a country which is in the course of developing its legal and political spheres and wishes to safeguard the role of culture in this process. The paper comprises four parts. Part one describes the tasks of Austria’s public diplomacy, part two discusses the foundations of present day relations between Austria and Azerbaijan, part three highlights activities undertaken jointly by the two countries to safeguard the cultural heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh, and finally part four recaps the cultural component in bilateral relations as well as presents the currently implemented cultural and scientific projects. The conclusions focus on the evaluation of programs, projects and legal regulations signed in the last dozen years, aimed at fostering cooperation between democratic states and a country involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. An additional element was the assessment of the cooperation for the protection of the cultural heritage in the conflict area. Support for cultural institutions, scholarship programs, material-heritage protection and education is the best investment in the development of the civil society in developing countries, but is also a tourism incentive and stimulates investment. The bilateral relations between Austria and Azerbaijan aim to develop democratic institutions and the civil society in Azerbaijan, support the growth of the non-oil sectors of its economy and bolster its ability to combat terrorism, trafficking and other transnational crimes.

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