Contacts between Poland and Azerbaijan, particularly in the context of both countries' development after the collapse of the Soviet Union, was one of the topics discussed during a visit by Ambassador Nargiz Gurbanova of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Faculty of Social Sciences on April 28.

Distant from Poland territorially and culturally, at least at first glance. Distances no longer matter in the age of modern means of transport; as the Ambassador pointed out, there is a direct flight from Warsaw to Baku several times a week. Cultural ties between our countries were also not uncommon, as seen from the depiction of Baku in Stefan Żeromski's Przedwiośnie [The Spring to Come]. However, the links are much broader; it is worth mentioning, for example, the scholars or poets who settled on the territory of present-day Azerbaijan during the partition of Poland. Polish architects made a significant contribution to the development of the capital of the Caucasian oil giant, which was commemorated by the Polish Post by introducing postage stamps of the 'Polish Architects in Azerbaijan' issue.

The meeting, organised on the initiative of the Regional Centre for International Debate in Gdańsk, was attended, among others, by the Vice-Rector for Students and Quality of Education, dr hab. Arnold Kłonczyński, prof. UG; Andrzej Jankowski, a Polish diplomat on a mission in Baku, among others; the Director of the Institute of Political Science, dr hab. Arkadiusz Modrzejewski, prof. UG; Deputy Director of the Institute of Political Science dr hab. Jakub Potulski, prof. UG; Coordinator of the Regional Centre for International Debate in Gdańsk Marcelina Wilczewska and Director of the Office of the Centre for Student and Doctoral Activities Łukasz Bień.

During the meeting, the turbulent history of Azerbaijan and the country's importance in international relations were discussed. The issue of common ties between Poland and Azerbaijan was important, especially in the context of the development of both countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Ambassador of Azerbaijan emphasised the issue of how important Poland is regarded as a partner, as evidenced by the career and political significance of previous ambassadors to Poland. Nargiz Gurbanova also emphasised how important Gdańsk remains to her, not least because of its strong Tatar community.

Representatives of the University of Gdańsk also mentioned Professor Andrzej Chodubski, the doyen of Gdańsk political scientists who died in 2017 and who conducted research in Azerbaijan for a long time, publishing monographs on the country.

Issues of scientific and cultural cooperation were discussed. As the participants emphasised, the meeting's outcome will be the intensification of joint activities in both academic and cultural spheres, as the University of Gdansk may soon host screenings of films produced in the Central Asian country and exhibitions of photographs and paintings by Azerbaijani artists.

The Ambassador also met with students of diplomacy, who were told about the country she represents and about diplomatic practice.