Why
is the Azerbaijani Language Important?
The Azerbaijani
or Azeri language is the official language of the Republic of
Azerbaijan in the Caucasus region. It is spoken by over 30 million
people in parts of Iran and Turkey, as well as in the Republic
of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani is a "Turkic" language closely
related to Modern Turkish; these two Turkic languages are mutually
intelligible to a great extent.
In the West, and in the U.S. in particular, there is growing interest
in the Azerbaijani language since the Azerbaijan S.S.R. became
an independent republic in 1991. This is mainly because Azerbaijan
has large oil and natural gas deposits, and a number of American
and other Western companies are involved in the extraction of
these precious commodities. The important geopolitical location
of Azerbaijan especially after the Iraq crisis, and the close
relations established between Azerbaijan and the U.S.A. have also
contributed to this interest.
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