Italy’s RAI TV channel has broadcast an extensive report about Gobustan National Historical Artistic Reserve, the capital city Baku, and Azerbaijan’s progress in digital technologies and artificial intelligence solutions.

Barbara Carfagna, RAI’s correspondent, who traveled to Azerbaijan, described the country as rich in cultural and natural heritage. She said Gobustan Reserve holds the memory of history carved in stone and called the petroglyphs there astonishing. According to her, the rock carvings and the Gaval Dash (tambourine stone) in Gobustan cover a period from the 3rd-2nd millennia BC to the Middle Ages.

The report features the open-air rock engravings in the reserve and the exhibits in the on-site museum. It also highlights the characteristics of the mud volcanoes in the Mud Volcano Tourism Complex.

The researchers discovered the Gobustan petroglyphs in 1939. In 2007, UNESCO included Gobustan in the World Heritage List, while in 2019, the Islamic World Heritage Committee added the Gobustan rock art to its own list.

The report also focuses on the Azerbaijani capital and particularly the operation of “ASAN Khidmet,” its centers, and the innovative technologies in use. Additionally, Fariz Jafarov, Executive Director of the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4SİM), explained that the center analyzes and coordinates challenges, initiatives, strategies, and projects related to digital economy.

In an interview with the Italian journalist, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, stated that Azerbaijan lies at the intersection of trade routes connecting China with the European Union, as well as between the Persian Gulf and Russian ports. He said this strategic location creates diversified ties. Azerbaijan is investing not only in traditional logistics but also in a new digital corridor across the Caspian Sea that will connect East and West. The fiber-optic cable project laid under the Caspian Sea will link Azerbaijan with Europe. The “Digital Silk Road” will lead to significant data and digital traffic flows in the region and will become an integral part of the country’s digital telecommunications strategy.

Nihad Budagov

Special correspondent