By: News Editor
Jordan Daily - Azerbaijan will mark Independence Day on May 28 by highlighting its transformation into a regional energy and political player, while promoting closer ties with Jordan and reconstruction efforts in territories regained after decades of war with Armenia.
In a statement released ahead of the anniversary, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Jordan Shahin Abdullayev said the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918 represented the first democratic republic in the Muslim East, introducing parliamentary governance and equal political rights, including voting rights for women.
The republic survived less than two years before Soviet rule was imposed in 1920. Azerbaijan regained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Abdullayev said Azerbaijan faced severe economic and political instability in the early years of independence, including war with neighbouring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. He credited late President Heydar Aliyev with restoring stability and launching economic reforms that later helped position Azerbaijan as a strategic energy and transport hub linking Europe and Asia.
The ambassador highlighted major infrastructure projects including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor, saying Azerbaijani gas is currently exported to 16 countries, among them 10 European Union member states.
He also said Azerbaijan began supplying natural gas to Syria through Turkey in 2025 to support electricity generation in Aleppo and Homs, with annual exports expected to reach 1.2 billion cubic metres during the initial phase of the project.
The statement placed strong emphasis on Azerbaijan’s military and political gains in its long-running war with Armenia. Abdullayev said Azerbaijan restored full sovereignty over its internationally recognised territory in September 2023 after military operations ended the control of Armenian separatist forces in Karabakh.
According to the ambassador, Azerbaijan has since launched large-scale reconstruction programmes in Karabakh and East Zangezur, including airports, highways and “smart city” developments aimed at facilitating the return of displaced residents.
Abdullayev also referred to a draft peace agreement initialled by Azerbaijan and Armenia in August 2025 under U.S. mediation, describing it as a significant step toward long-term stability in the South Caucasus.
On bilateral relations, the ambassador said ties between Azerbaijan and Jordan had continued to expand under President Ilham Aliyev and King Abdullah II. Bilateral trade reached around $6.5 million in 2024, while the two countries have signed dozens of agreements and memoranda of understanding covering trade, tourism, investment and energy cooperation.
He added that both countries are working to establish regular direct flights between Amman and Baku to strengthen tourism and business links, with an Azerbaijani tourism delegation expected to visit Jordan next month to explore further cooperation opportunities.
