Newsletter No. 674
News-Analysis
July 13, 2007

 

SEARCHING FOR ENHANCED JAPAN-AZERBAIJAN COOPERATION

Considering that METI Minister Akira Amari is chairman of the Japan-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Committee and the lack of serious political roadblocks in the relationship, I have been expecting a surge in bilateral cooperation between Japan and Azerbaijan. So far, however, that surge looks like a mere ripple.

Last month, there was the first Japanese participation in a GUAM summit, which was held in Baku. We reported about that in our last Azerbaijan newsletter. Following that, on June 27th, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Araz Azimov paid a courtesy call on Taro Aso. In the brief 15-minute meeting, Azimov reportedly spoke as follows: “We are grateful for the dispatch of Mr. Yabunaka and want to deepen dialog between Japan and the GUAM countries, including the possibility of holding foreign ministers’ meetings… Azerbaijan highly values the ‘Arc of Freedom and Prosperity,’ which has strategic interest to Azerbaijan, which connects Asia with Europe, and fully supports the concept.”

Aso responded: “Azerbaijan has been achieving rapid economic growth with its rich oil resources but rapid growth might cause problems… Japan could share its experience with Azerbaijan… The importance of education is a key.”

In addition to this brief meeting, in an interview with the Trend News Agency, Ambassador Tadahiro Abe said that the Japanese government had so far realized 91 projects in Azerbaijan amounting to nearly US$6 million since the year 2000. He also said that he was now working on efforts to attract Japanese investors to the country and organizing the next meeting of the Japan-Azerbaijan Inter-Governmental Commission for Economic Cooperation.

While all of this makes it appear that Japan-Azerbaijan relations are modestly moving forward, I wonder why the moves are not more dramatic. For one thing, everything we are hearing about relates to the Foreign Ministry. Why is METI not taking a more active hand? Shouldn’t METI Minister Akira Amari have visited Azerbaijan already? During his Golden Week travels, Amari traveled to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and Brunei. As the chairman of the friendship committee, shouldn’t he have found a way to include Azerbaijan on his way between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia?

I sense another missed opportunity here. If the Abe cabinet is forced to resign in a few weeks, what precisely will have been Akira Amari’s main personal contributions in his ten months in office?

Perhaps mainly the nuclear partnership with Kazakhstan and his role in destroying the Azadegan deal. Anything else?