New Delhi: The Ambassador of Azerbaijan, Ashraf Shikhaliyev, features in the first edition of Ambassador’s Brief, our new series where we talk to envoys from around the world posted in Delhi to understand their countries, and their personal relationship with India. In this freewheeling chat, Ambassador Shikhaliyev explains how he became one of Azerbaijan’s top diplomats from a career in oilfield engineering, and elaborates on how the relationship between the two nations, which stretches all the way back to the ancient Silk Route, continues to thrive, flourish and grow.