JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW   
 
Hour One
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 1, Block A:  1 /2  Hikmet Hajiyev, Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department, Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re:  The tragedy of Nagorno-Karabakh weighs upon the whole of the South Caucasus.  Soldiers’ sitting in trenches facing each other – same as World Wars I and II.   Unfortunately, Armenia is in blatant disregard of rules of warfare. What has it achieved for its occupation? Nothing, Worse, it's using vast amounts of Armenian resources, while many Armenia youngsters are spending a great part of their life in trench warfare.  JB: Excellent farm land – lavish roses, fabulous melons; but on the other side, it's barren.  HH: Marco Polo in the Twelfth Century remarked on what a fertile agricultural region this is.  We’ve managed to develop well with oil and gas and we're eager to share our prosperity with Armenia, which is suffering economically. UN demanded that Armenia withdraw its forces.  Ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis in Armenia.  We should live side by side in peace and dignity.  Otherwise, we have a dividing line, similar to during the Cold War.  JB:  The day before I arrived, an Azerbaijani young soldier was shot. Do these many provocations – sniper fire – help Armenia?  HH:  . . .  when 600 civilians were deliberately killed, including many old people. JB: The Armenian population is declining while the Azerbaijanis are having babies. 
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 1, Block B:  2/2  Hikmet Hajiyev, Head of the Foreign Policy affairs Department, Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re:  The tragedy of Nagorno-Karabakh weighs upon the whole of the South Caucasus. The Southern Gas Pipeline; energy resources for  Central Asia, and also for security. HH: Our gratitude to the United States for its help. Pipeline takes gas from Caspian Sea to the European market, so we link Caspian, Black Sea, Mediterranean and the Adriatic; 50,000 new jobs. JB: I was in Uzbekistan this year, and they want to do what you’ve done.  HH:  [The historical connections among Central Asian nations.] We had globalization a thousand years ago, even including traders from China.   We’re linking railroads (“the Iron Silk Road”), air transport, Caspian shipping; we're even linking in Afghanistan. Everyone’s products can thereby go to the European market.
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 1, Block C: 1 /2 Emin Huseynov, Aide to the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re: . .  .  After years of being under military threat, we recently tripled out rate of growth.  World Bank research among Central Asian nations: There’s no clear-cut evidence that diversified exports lead to a developed economy.  What’s more important: diversify exports, or diversify assets?  World Bank refers to natural, produced, and intangible (human capital and institutions – i.e.., rules of the game) wealth. In Azerbaijan, we have a lot of natural wealth in hydrocarbons; we then built infrastructure — water, irrigation, bridges, roads; upgraded to a top-notch level, which greatly contributed to our produced wealth. We now need to invest more in human capital and in building more effective market institutions. 
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 1, Block D: 2/2  Emin Huseynov, Aide to the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re:   To invest more in human capital, to be productive and efficient, a person needs above all to be healthy, then to get a good education; then can contribute to society. All these components are essential. We've been reforming in health, education, and social welfare: we’ve targetted all five components of education – content, teachers, management, financing . . . I studied twice in the US, first time funded by the Dept of State, then for my second Master’s funded by Azerbaijan; initially, in Florida, and second at Harvard.  Azerbaijan is using financial assets to grow education; now shifting to intangible wealth, which will be our priority for the next twenty-five years.  The technology we see now will be completely gone in twenty-five years.  JB: Azerbaijan dreams big
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 1, Block C: 1 /2 Emin Huseynov, Aide to the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re: . .  .  After years of being under military threat, we recently tripled out rate of growth.  World Bank research among Central Asian nations: There’s no clear-cut evidence that diversified exports lead to a developed economy.  What’s more important: diversify exports, or diversify assets?  World Bank refers to natural, produced, and intangible (human capital and institutions – i.e.., rules of the game) wealth. In Azerbaijan, we have a lot of natural wealth in hydrocarbons; we then built infrastructure — water, irrigation, bridges, roads; upgraded to a top-notch level, which greatly contributed to our produced wealth. We now need to invest more in human capital and in building more effective market institutions. 
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 1, Block D: 2/2  Emin Huseynov, Aide to the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re:   To invest more in human capital, to be productive and efficient, a person needs above all to be healthy, then to get a good education; then can contribute to society. All these components are essential. We've been reforming in health, education, and social welfare: we’ve targetted all five components of education – content, teachers, management, financing . . . I studied twice in the US, first time funded by the Dept of State, then for my second Master’s funded by Azerbaijan; initially, in Florida, and second at Harvard.  Azerbaijan is using financial assets to grow education; now shifting to intangible wealth, which will be our priority for the next twenty-five years.  The technology we see now will be completely gone in twenty-five years.  JB: Azerbaijan dreams big
 
Hour Two
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 2, Block A:  Bob Suri, General Manager, Four Seasons Hotel, Baku; in re:  The care and feeding of the always-late and hungry global traveler.  We have 116 hotels in 42 countries. Advice to young people who want to undertake becoming a hotelier: wear your attitude on your shoulder. We don't hire people; we select people.  . . . Of course we need excellent technology in your room, but the human connection will always be central.
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 2, Block B:  Best of Baku: Marco Catelani, vintner, Chabiant Vineyard, Ismayilli region, Azerebaijan.  
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 2, Block C:  Best of Baku:  1 /2   Major General Hikmat Hasanov, Commander of First Corps, Azerbaijan, in re: Trench warfare in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia invaded Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh twenty-five years ago and has occupied this fertile farm region ever since.
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 2, Block D:  Best of Baku:  2/2  Major General Hikmat Hasanov, Commander of First Corps, Azerbaijan, in re:  Trench warfare in Nagorno-Karabakh.  Professional history of the general.  Training and R&R of young soldiers; establishment of a professional military. We much prefer to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh matter peacefully.  If that becomes entirely impossible, we’re prepared to defend our land. 
 
Hour Three
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 3, Block A:  1 /2  Hikmet Hajiyev, Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department, Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re:  The tragedy of Nagorno-Karabakh weighs upon the whole of the South Caucasus.  Soldiers’ sitting in trenches facing each other – same as World Wars I and II.   Unfortunately, Armenia is in blatant disregard of rules of warfare. What has it achieved for its occupation? Nothing, Worse, it's using vast amounts of Armenian resources, while many Armenia youngsters are spending a great part of their life in trench warfare.  JB: Excellent farm land – lavish roses, fabulous melons; but on the other side, it's barren.  HH: Marco Polo in the Twelfth Century remarked on what a fertile agricultural region this is.  We’ve managed to develop well with oil and gas and we're eager to share our prosperity with Armenia, which is suffering economically. UN demanded that Armenia withdraw its forces.  Ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis in Armenia.  We should live side by side in peace and dignity.  Otherwise, we have a dividing line, similar to during the Cold War.  JB:  The day before I arrived, an Azerbaijani young soldier was shot. Do these many provocations – sniper fire – help Armenia?  HH:  . . .  when 600 civilians were deliberately killed, including many old people. JB: The Armenian population is declining while the Azerbaijanis are having babies. 
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 3, Block B:  2/2  Hikmet Hajiyev, Head of the Foreign Policy affairs Department, Administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re:  The tragedy of Nagorno-Karabakh weighs upon the whole of the South Caucasus. The Southern Gas Pipeline; energy resources for  Central Asia, and also for security. HH: Our gratitude to the United States for its help. Pipeline takes gas from Caspian Sea to the European market, so we link Caspian, Black Sea, Mediterranean and the Adriatic; 50,000 new jobs. JB: I was in Uzbekistan this year, and they want to do what you’ve done.  HH:  [The historical connections among Central Asian nations.] We had globalization a thousand years ago, even including traders from China.   We’re linking railroads (“the Iron Silk Road”), air transport, Caspian shipping; we're even linking in Afghanistan. Everyone’s products can thereby go to the European market.
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 3, Block C: 1 /2  Emin Huseynov, Aide to the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re: . .  .  After years of being under military threat, we recently tripled out rate of growth.  World Bank research among Central Asian nations:  There’s no clear-cut evidence that diversified exports lead to a developed economy.  What’s more important: diversify exports, or diversify assets?  World Bank refers to natural, produced, and intangible (human capital and institutions – i.e., rules of the game) wealth. In Azerbaijan, we have a lot of natural wealth in hydrocarbons; we then built infrastructure — water, irrigation, bridges, roads; upgraded to a top-notch level, which greatly contributed to our produced wealth. We now need to invest more in human capital and in building more effective market institutions. 
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 3, Block D: 2/2  Emin Huseynov, Aide to the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in re:   To invest more in human capital, to be productive and efficient, a person needs above all to be healthy, then to get a good education; then can contribute to society. All these components are essential. We've been reforming in health, education, and social welfare: we’ve targetted all five components of education – content, teachers, management, financing . . . I studied twice in the US, first time funded by the Dept of State, then for my second Master’s funded by Azerbaijan; initially, in Florida, and second at Harvard.  Azerbaijan is using financial assets to grow education; now shifting to intangible wealth, which will be our priority for the next twenty-five years.  The technology we see now will be completely gone in twenty-five years. JB: Azerbaijan dreams big!
 
Hour Four
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 4, Block A: The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics, by Paul Bracken
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 4, Block B: The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics, by Paul Bracken
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 4, Block C: The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics, by Paul Bracken
Friday 27 September 2019/ Hour 4, Block D: The Second Nuclear Age: Strategy, Danger, and the New Power Politics, by Paul Bracken