Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov.19 / Trend, V.Zhavoronkova /
Azerbaijan is rich and strategically important country, which certainly deserves tourists' attention, CNN TV channel's Sr. Anchor/correspondent Jim Clancy, who is preparing a reportage and interview on Azerbaijan jointly with Jim Boulden in Baku, believes.
"I would definitely recommend Azerbaijan as a traveling site, because there are many things to see here, to explore and learn about," Clancy said in an interview with Trend.
"Eye on Azerbaijan"- it is the last episode of CNN project, which has already prepared issues in India, Germany, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland and Macedonia in 2011.
"Most people can't put Azerbaijan on a map," he said.
According to Clancy, who has 30-year experience in CNN, the project is designed to correct it and tell about where it is and why it is important.
"Once people get to know the people of Azerbaijan, who they are through history, their carpets, their culture, their music then they can be friendly with them," he believes.
Clancy said it is necessary just to catch the people's attention to Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan will host Eurovision Song Contest in 2012. The country obtained this right winning at the contest held in Germany in 2011.
Clancy said Azerbaijan should expect tourists after the Eurovision song contest. "Definitely there will be a lot of people coming here," he said.
"Just to see the celebrations in the street after the victory in that contest. People know there is huge love of music here. Not just mugam, but either jazz, all kind of music," he said.
According to Clancy, Azerbaijan expects another important event in 2012 - the country won the right to host FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. It is very important event in this region. It is important also for young woman who want to be involved in sports, he believes.
"We talked with the team they were very clear that they were taking the first steps in this regard," he said.
"And I hope that other Muslim countries will follow behind him. And I think they will," he said.
"My first impressions from Azerbaijan came in 1991 when I was here and President Mutalibov had declared independence," he said. "My first impression was one of very depressed and exploited former Soviet republic at that time."
According to Clancy, when he returned today he saw a transformed city.
"Azerbaijan is able to use its oil and gas wealth to build at least on the surface a more modern country one I think that response better to its citizens," he said.
Clancy believes that Azerbaijan is looking as a country in transition, an important country in the geopolitical scene today as well as an important country in the oil and gas sector that is why it is getting its attention.
But the CNN project this time focuses more on the people of Azerbaijan -their rich culture, their rich history, who they really are, because you can not defined the people of Azerbaijan just by the resources that are on the ground here.
