Lankaran, Monterey become sister cities

The official sister-city proclamation was signed Tuesday by the Monterey City Council and by high-ranking officials from the city and county of Lankaran. A delegation of Azerbaijan officials will be in town all week to learn about Monterey County. Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan`s consul general, came from Los Angeles on Tuesday to be part of the signing ceremony.

"We want to see as much as possible," said Samadaga Abdullayev, assistant to the head of executive power for the county of Lankaran. He said the delegation is particularly interested in Monterey`s tourism and education industries, with the expectation the group will take back ideas for its own planning.

Lankaran joins six other cities in locations around the globe with sister-city arrangements with Monterey. The other cities are Tainan City, Taiwan; Nanao, Japan; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Trapani, Italy; Kusadasi, Turkey; and Lerida, Spain.

While Lankaran, population 120,000, boasts a location on the golden coast of the Caspian, the coastline is practically abandoned, Abdullayev said. The group was impressed with Monterey`s wharf and Cannery Row development and its coastal trail, he said.

The country`s aggressive reconstruction, after 70 years of Soviet rule, has resulted in a reported unemployment rate of less than 1 percent. Soon after the USSR crumbled 20 years ago, the country improved its infrastructure, parceled out property to farmers and opened its abundant oil resources to foreign investors, said Alimardan Aliyer, chairman of public relations and public affairs for Lankaran county.

"They`re developing so fast," said Monterey Councilwoman Nancy Selfridge, who recently visited Azerbaijan with Councilman Jeff Haferman. "They seem to be using their oil and gas money in a wise manner."

In addition to its oil economy, the city of Lankaran takes significant pride in its tea, said Abdullayev. Back in the day, Lankaran tea was the beverage of choice in the Kremlin.

Maybe, someday soon, it will become a specialty in Monterey, he said.


/AzerTAc/