The Curse of Oil TV - Vakhid Akhmedov - Simon Reeve TV - Our World: Who Won the Karabakh War? TV - Bettany Hughes TV -
After the collapse of Soviet power, Azerbaijan’s new oil fields were up for grabs. Hundreds of Western companies and entrepreneurs flocked here. History was repeating itself. The Curse of Oil II, BBC 2004
A Formula One race will improve our country’s image. When we took an obligation to host this event two years ago, we could not forecast such a sharp decline in the oil price. Vakhid Akhmedov, politician
One hundred years ago Muslim Azerbaijan used to supply half the world’s oil. In recent years Western oil firms have invested vast sums here. But officially Azerbaijan is still at war with neighbouring Armenia. Simon Reeve, Holidays in the Danger Zone: Places that Don’t Exist V: Nagorno Karabakh
Azerbaijan and Armenia got their independence but a small mountainous area called Nagorno Karabakh triggered war. ibid.
In September last year Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war. In 44 days of fighting, the fortunes of the two countries and their peoples were turned upside down … So who really won this war? And what does the future hold for people who have lived through and lost so much? Our World: Who Won the Karabakh War? BBC 2021
Two neighbours, two wars, the bitterest of enemies. Nagorno Karabakh is an Armenian-majority area inside Azerbaijan’s international borders. In 1992 a long-running dispute over who should control it turned into war. Armenia invaded taking over Najorno Karabakh and the surrounding areas. ibid.
The culturally rich, rugged, ravishing country of Azerbaijan … a unique and remarkable land that’s attracted adventurers and diverse cultures since pre-history. Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World s2e8: Azerbaijan, Channel 4 2023
Carved into these rocks are more than 7,000 Unesco-protected pictures, inscriptions and stories. ibid.
In 1797 the ruler Muhammad Hussain Khan displayed the immense wealth generated by the Silk Road when he built this lavish two-storey residence, a palace of light. ibid.
Flames that burn perpetually fuelled by natural gas … are extraordinary. ibid.
My next treasure is the rich historic centre of Baku. ibid.