Baku - Post Report Question and Answers
Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
Locals aren't the most open but they are helpful when asked. Not sure about actual legit friendships though. Africa and east Asian Americans might get stares but no outright hostility, more out of curiosity. Others who blend in will be mistaken for locals by guards and LE staff. - Sep 2023
Due to cultural and language barriers, making local friends doesn't often happen. Prejudices against LGBT are very obvious. Those with darker skin could get some looks and lack of acknowledgment from locals. - Aug 2023
I've found engaging with others in Azerbaijan a bit difficult. To start with, most organizations or embassies here have mostly families with children, so singles or couples with no children are few to meet and engage with. Outside the mission community, there is a small expat community and I've befriended many fellow diplomats there. I expected to befriend many more locals than I have after a year here, especially knowing the language. I think Azerbaijanis can be much more reserved than people from other countries, and the "Soviet" mentality of mistrust or being stoic could play a role in how outgoing or engaging they can be with foreigners. It is worth noting that I think Azerbaijanis treat you differently based on how you look; friends of mine who are more "foreign" looking especially white Americans tend to describe their interactions as much more positive, being invited to several Azerbaijani weddings or homes while someone who maybe looks more like a local person may not get that kind of attention. It could all be relative. - Jun 2023
My opinion is that most locals are a bit guarded. There's also still the post-Soviet mentality where everyone seems a little bit grumpy. That being said, my local staff in Azerbaijan have been the best staff I've ever worked with. The office is really like a family and we do a lot together socially. I think if I had more Azeri language my response on this question might have been quite different. - Jun 2021
If you want to, you can certainly make local friends. The local staff are warm and inviting (often inviting officers to their homes). There aren't a lot of different skin colors here, so Asians, Hispanics, and African-Americans will stand out. Locals usually think I am Russian, so I blend in, but not everyone does. There might be staring, but people aren't too aggressive. - Jan 2019
