(Washington, D.C.) — In this crazy, chaotic world of ours, could there really be a Shia Muslim nation that strongly backs the U.S., opposes Iranian terrorism and regional aggression, and is not only a friend and ally of Israel but recently welcomed Israel’s Prime Minister for a state visit?
Sounds like fiction, I know. But it really exists — Azerbaijan.
Yesterday, I had the honor of a two-hour meeting with Ambassador Elin Sulaymanov at Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Washington. While our conversation was off the record, it was certainly fascinating. I gave the Ambassador an advance copy of WITHOUT WARNING, and he invited me to visit Baku.
Some facts about the country:
9.8 million people
97% Shia Muslim, 3% Christian, but with a fairly secular government
“Oil-rich Azerbaijan has redefined itself over the past two decades from a struggling newly independent state to a major regional energy player,” notes the BBC.
A former Soviet republic which became independent on August 30, 1991, just before the formal dissolution of the USSR
Located in a tough neighborhood, with Russian President Vladimir Putin to the north, Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to the south, and Armenia to the west which wrested control of some 20% of Azerbaijan (the Nagorno-Karabakh region) after a period of war and separatist uprisings during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Criticized by some internationally for an authoritarian government
Working closely with the U.S. and the West on regional energy and security issues
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