Azerbaijan Roundup: UNESCO World Heritage, foreign relations, corruption

Old City in UNESCO World Heritage Calendar

Old City in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku has earned a place in the UNESCO World Heritage Calendar for 2024, making the city the first location in Azerbaijan to receive this distinction. Approximately 12 monuments within the Old City were selected from a pool of 1,157 historical monuments across 168 countries on the UNESCO World Heritage List, reports local media Azer News. Dating back to 2000, the Old City, including landmarks like the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower, holds immense cultural and historical significance for Azerbaijan. Old City’s unique monuments, including mosques, minarets, caravanserais, and bathhouses, make it a top tourist attraction in Baku.

Azerbaijan-Turkey sign partnerships

On February 19, a signing ceremony of Azerbaijan-Turkey documents took place in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, attended by President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Among the key agreements signed was the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Council of Higher Education of the Republic of Turkey. This agreement paves the way for the establishment of the Turkey-Azerbaijan University. Additionally, an Agreement on cooperation in the field of veterinary medicine was signed, along with an Agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey on eliminating double taxation and preventing tax evasion, local media 525.AZ reported.

European Weightlifting Champion

Azerbaijani weightlifter Dadash Dadashbeyli claimed victory at the European Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria, showcasing his 109 kg weight class prowess. Dadashbeyli demonstrated his strength by lifting 176 kg in the deadlift, securing the European Championship title in this category. He repeated his success in the push-up discipline, lifting 212 kg above his head to clinch another gold medal, reports local media Xalq Qazeti. With a total lift of 388 kg (176+212), Dadashbeyli stood atop the podium ahead of everyone else in Europe.

Azerbaijan's Corruption Perception

Azerbaijan was ranked 154th with 23 points out of 180 countries and territories in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by Transparency International. This index, released on January 20, reflects expert and business perceptions of corruption levels in the public sector. Compared to the previous year's ranking of 157th with 23 points and 128th with 30 points in 2022, Azerbaijan's position has remained relatively stagnant, with last year's score being deemed an anti-record. Alongside Tajikistan (162nd place with 20 points) and Turkmenistan (170th place with 18 points), Azerbaijan is among the countries with the lowest corruption index in the region, reports local media Azadliq. The index employs a scale where 100 points indicate the absence of corruption in the public sector, while 0 points signify a very high level of corruption.

Azerbaijan will chair the Asian Parliamentary Assembly

In a notable development signalling the evolving dynamics of Asian geopolitics, Azerbaijan is poised to assume the chairmanship of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) by the end of February. The announcement was made by Mohammad Reza Majidi, the Secretary General of the APA, during a press conference held in Baku on February 8, 2024, local media Azer News reported. This transition of chairmanship from Türkiye to Azerbaijan will coincide with the 14th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) in Baku from February 21 to 24.