Baku, Azerbaijan-A delegation of journalists from North Africa and the Middle East visited Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) as part of their tour of Azerbaijan organized within the EU's Eastern Partnership initiative. ADA Rector, Hafiz Pashayev and the two first African students of the academy’s masters program on international relations and diplomacy, (MADIA) Nelly Nasike and Idris Hassan from Kenya, spoke to the guests about the Academy and Azerbaijani foreign relations and foreign policy. Ambassador Pashayev underlined that Azerbaijan is pursuing an independent policy in the complex region of the South Caucasus with a main aim to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: “The principal purpose for Azerbaijani foreign policy is to achieve a peace. We suffered a lot and still suffering a lot because of the conflict. We are still in condition of war with Armenia. We have a ceasefire, but the conflict is continuing, in my view”.

Dr. Pashayev also touched upon Azerbaijan energy policy, taking into account the fact that the North African journalists mainly came from energy rich countries, reiterating that in first years of independence Azerbaijan had a very difficult time crafting its energy policy, which is very important part of our foreign policy today: “In those difficult years and under difficult circumstances, we were able to manage the energy policy of Azerbaijan and were able to create conditions for growth. Over the past few years we were the fastest growing economy in the world. GDP growth was more than 30 percent. Even the global financial crisis didn’t substantially affect the Azerbaijan economy”.

MADIA students Nelly Nasike and Idris Hassan shared their experience about their times in Azerbaijan. “I would say it is very important that the world knows that ADA is a unique international school that will bridge the gap between the conflicts in the region and diplomatic skill needed for amicable resolution of the same. Besides, being a centre of diplomacy is developing and enhancing the human capital in Azerbaijan and other regions too” said Nelly Nasike on the importance of meeting with African journalists afterwards.

At the end of meeting rector of Academy Hafiz Pashayev emphasized their wish to see more African students in ADA.