Indian Ambassador To Azerbaijan Received Credentials From The President.

New Delhi / Baku; February 2026: India’s newly appointed Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Abhay Kumar, had called on the Honourable President Of India – Droupadi Murmu te receive his credentials before leaving for Baku.

Abhay Kumar who is an Indian Foreign Service batch of 2003, was previously the Joint Secretary in the Ministry. He was appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Azerbaijan on December 30th 2025.

He has also served as First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Russia from 2005 – 2010, followed by his assignment at Kathmandu from 2012 to 2016. Kumar headed India’s diplomatic mission to Madagascar and the Comoros from 2019 to 2022, and served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Brazil from 2016-2022.

He also worked as Under Secretary Public Diplomacy from 2010-2012 responsible for putting Indian diplomacy on the digital map and as Deputy DG Indian Council for Cultural Relations from 2022-2025, responsible for coordinating over 300 cultural events during India’s presidency of G-20.

Yesterday – 03rd February, Kumar assumed charges immediately upon reaching Baku, the Indian Embassy said in a post on X.

India and Azerbaijan established diplomatic relations in 1992, with India’s embassy in Baku established in 1999. Trade is growing, with India exporting rice, tea, and machinery, and importing oil. India-Azerbaijan relations are based on civilisational linkages, cultural affinities and shared values of understanding and respect for other cultures, as per a statement by the Embassy said.

The Indian community in Azerbaijan includes about 708 persons, including professionals in the oil sector and students. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) previously supported a Hindi center at the Azerbaijan University of Languages.

Strategic Initiatives: Both nations are involved in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), enhancing connectivity.

The ‘Ateshgah’ fire temple in the vicinity of Baku is a fine example of the age-old historical relations and cultural exchanges between India and Azerbaijan. This 18th century monument, with a much older history, has wall inscriptions in Devanagari and Gurmukhi, and is a surviving proof of the trade links and hospitality that Indian merchants on the Silk Route to Europe enjoyed in Azerbaijani cities such as Baku and Ganja.

During the period when Azerbaijan was a part of the erstwhile Soviet Union, India’s ties with the then Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic were primarily through Moscow. India’s Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, former President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (as Vice President in 1956) and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (in 1961) visited the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

India recognised Azerbaijan as an independent country in December 1991, soon after it proclaimed its independence from the USSR. Diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan were established on 28 February 1992. The resident Indian Mission was opened in Baku in March 1999. Azerbaijan opened its resident Mission in New Delhi in October 2004.

In 2024, Azerbaijan received 243,589 tourists from India, a 108% increase over the number of tourist arrivals in 2023 (117,302). During this period, India was the 3rd largest source of inbound tourists for Azerbaijan, after Russia and Turkiye. Delhi and Mumbai have direct flight connectivity with Baku.

Of the 14 direct flights a week, 10 are between Delhi and Baku and 04 between Mumbai and Baku.

ONGC Videsh Ltd has invested more than US$ 1.2 billion in acquiring stakes in the Azeri – Chirag – Gunashli (ACG) oil and gas fields and the Baku – Tbilisi – Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipe line.

Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, the Government of India offers about 30 fully-paid training courses to Azerbaijani officials every year. More than 230 Azerbaijani scholars have availed ITEC courses till March 2025. During the period of pandemic, these training programmes were switched to online mode and more than 200 Azerbaijani scholars attended e-ITEC programmes. A Hindi teaching Center with the support of ICCR functioned at the Azerbaijan University of Languages (AUL) between October 2010 and November 2019. An India Centre is also functioning in the Institute of Literature of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS).

There have been several Ministerial level visits from Azerbaijan to India since 1991. Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Elnur Mammadov visited India on 28-29 November 2022 for the Foreign Office Consultations, and again on 03-05 March 2023 to participate in Raisina Dialogue.

Azerbaijan has participated in all three editions of VoGSS. VoGSS-1.0 and VoGSS-2.0 saw Azerbaijani participation in Energy Ministers’ Sessions and in VoGSS-3.0, the participation was in the Environment Ministers’ Session.

An Azerbaijani delegation, led by the Deputy Foreign Minister and Lead Negotiator for COP29, Mr. Yalchin Rafiyev visited New Delhi on 2-4 April 2024. On 03 April 2024, the visiting delegation held discussions with Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change on a range of issues and topics under the UNFCCC.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Farid Gayibov visited India on 17-19 September 2024. The Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Shahin Babayev visited India for the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-24) and the Global Standards Symposium (GSS-24) held in New Delhi from 13-19 Oct 2024.

Team Maverick.