Azerbaijan Passport

[Country Name] Republic of Azerbaijan

The Republic of Azerbaijan is located in the eastern part of the Transcaucasian region at the junction of the Eurasian continent. It borders the Caspian Sea to the east, Iran and Türkiye to the south, Russia to the north, and Georgia and Armenia to the west. The enclave, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, is surrounded by Armenia, Iran and Türkiye.

【 Area 】 86600 square kilometers

Population: 10.2 million (as of July 2024). There are a total of 43 ethnic groups, among which Azerbaijani ethnic group accounts for 91.6%, Lezgen ethnic group accounts for 2.0%, Russian ethnic group accounts for 1.3%, Armenian ethnic group accounts for 1.3%, and Taresh ethnic group accounts for 1.3%.

【 Capital 】 Baku (Баку), with a population of 2.3366 million (as of early 2023).

The official language is Azerbaijani. Most residents are proficient in Russian.

[Religion] Many people believe in Islam and belong to Shia Muslims, but do not emphasize differences between sects.

National Day: May 28th

【 Currency 】 Manat, 1 US dollar ≈ 1.7 Manat

The basic units of administrative divisions are districts and municipalities directly under the central government, which include 66 districts and 11 municipalities directly under the central government. Among them, 7 districts and 1 municipality directly under the central government are located in the enclave of Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.

Azerbaijani tribes were formed from the 11th to the 13th century AD. From the 13th to the 16th century, it was repeatedly invaded and partitioned by foreign tribes. From the 16th to the 18th century, it was ruled by the Safavid dynasty of Iran. In the mid-18th century, it split into more than a dozen feudal small countries. In the 1830s, Northern Azerbaijan (now the Republic of Azerbaijan) was incorporated into Tsarist Russia. In November 1917, the Soviet government was established - the Baku Commune. On May 28, 1918, the Azerbaijani bourgeoisie established the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. It was replaced by the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic on April 28, 1920. On March 12, 1922, it joined the Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (which joined the Soviet Union in December of the same year). On December 5, 1936, it became a constituent republic directly under the Soviet Union. On February 6, 1991, the country changed its name to the Republic of Azerbaijan and officially gained independence on October 18.

President Ilham Aliyev was first elected in October 2003. He was re elected four times in October 2008, October 2013, April 2018, and February 2024, with a term until 2031.

The highest legislative body of the country, known as the National Assembly. Implement a unicameral system, consisting of 125 members with a term of 5 years. The main functions are to formulate, approve, and abolish laws and treaties, determine administrative divisions, approve the national budget and supervise its implementation, recall the president through impeachment proceedings upon request by the Constitutional Court, and determine a national referendum. The current (7th) National Assembly will be elected in September 2024, and Sahiba Gafarova will be elected as the President of the National Assembly.

The current government was formed in February 2014, with Ali Asadov (АлиАсадов) serving as Prime Minister (since October 2019). The main government officials include: Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Vilayat Eyvazov, Interior Minister, Zakir Hasanov, and Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov. Such as ________ (Джабаров).

Implement a presidential system and maintain political stability. President Aliyev's position is stable, and his New Azerbaijan Party has a broad popular base.

The current constitution was passed by a national referendum on November 12, 1995. On September 28, 2016, Afghanistan amended its constitution through a national referendum, extending the presidential term from 5 years to 7 years, establishing the positions of first vice president and vice president, granting the president the power to dissolve parliament, removing age limits for presidential candidates, and lowering the age threshold for parliamentary candidates.

The oil and gas industry is a pillar industry in Afghanistan. In 2020, the overall economic situation in Afghanistan declined due to the dual impact of the pandemic and fluctuations in oil prices. Since 2021, with the gradual recovery of Afghanistan's foreign exchanges and cooperation, and the steady rebound of energy prices, the Afghan economy has stopped falling and rebounded. In 2023, the gross domestic product of Afghanistan will be approximately 72.3 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 1.1%; The total foreign trade volume is about 51 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 3.8%. From January to September 2024, the gross domestic product of Afghanistan was approximately 54.6 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 4.7%.

Diplomacy follows a policy of independence, diversity, and balance, emphasizing the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, equality and mutual benefit, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs in international affairs. Actively utilizing international and regional organizations such as the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non Aligned Movement to expand diplomatic space. The long-standing hostility towards Armenia has not yet led to the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the crux of the relationship between the two sides is the "Nagorno Karabakh" issue. From September to November 2020, armed conflicts erupted in the "Naka" region, causing a large number of casualties. On November 9 of the same year, the two countries issued a joint statement coordinated by Russia, deciding to immediately implement a ceasefire, dispatch peacekeeping forces from Russia to the conflict area, and return the surrounding areas of Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan. On September 19-20, 2023, the Afghan Ministry of Defense launched a "regional counter-terrorism operation" in the "Nagorno Karabakh" region. On January 1, 2024, according to a statement issued by the "Nagorno Karabakh" authorities, the "Nagorno Karabakh Republic" officially ceased to exist.

【 Resources 】 Afghanistan is adjacent to the Caspian Sea and has abundant reserves of oil and natural gas. The proven reserves of oil are 4 billion tons, and the proven reserves of natural gas are 2.55 trillion cubic meters. The oil production in 2022 is 32.6 million tons, and the natural gas production is 46.7 billion cubic meters.

On October 9, 1991, the establishment of the armed forces was announced, consisting of the army, navy, and air force. The current strength of the A army is over 60000 people (58000 in the army, 2200 in the navy, and 8660 in the air force). In 2024, the defense budget of Afghanistan is 3.78 billion US dollars.