Azerbaijan (UK: /ˌæzəbaɪˈdʒɑːn, 
listen), US: /ˌɑːzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn,
listen), US: /ˌɑːzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn, 
![Location of Azerbaijan (green) and Artsakh[a] (light green).](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Azerbaijan_with_Nagorno_Karabakh_region.svg)
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The Azerbaijan Democratic Republicproclaimed its independence in 1918 and became the first secular democratic Muslim-majority state. In 1920 the country was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.[11][12] The modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991,[13] shortly before the dissolution of the USSR in the same year. In September 1991, the Armenian majority of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region seceded to form the Republic of Artsakh.[14] The region and seven adjacent districts outside it became de facto independent with the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994. These regions are internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan pending a solution to the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh through negotiations facilitated by the OSCE.[15][16][17][18]
Azerbaijan is a unitary semi-presidential[2] republic. It is one of six independent Turkic states and an active member of the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 158 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations,[19] including the United Nations (since 1992), the Council of Europe, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OSCE, and the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program. It is one of the founding members of GUAM, the Commonwealth of Independent States(CIS)[20] and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Azerbaijan also holds observer status in the World Trade Organization.[19][21]
Qatar (/ˈkætɑːr/,[9] /ˈkɑːtɑːr/ (listen), /ˈkɑːtər/ or /kəˈtɑːr/ (listen);[10] Arabic: قطر Qaṭar [ˈqɑtˤɑr]; local vernacular pronunciation: [ˈɡɪtˤɑr]),[11][12] officially the State of Qatar (Arabic: دولة قطر Dawlat Qaṭar), is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Whether the sovereign state should be regarded as a constitutional monarchy or an absolute monarchy is disputed.[13][14][15][16][17][18] Its sole land border is with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain.
listen), /ˈkɑːtər/ or /kəˈtɑːr/ (listen);[10] Arabic: قطر Qaṭar [ˈqɑtˤɑr]; local vernacular pronunciation: [ˈɡɪtˤɑr]),[11][12] officially the State of Qatar (Arabic: دولة قطر Dawlat Qaṭar), is a country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Whether the sovereign state should be regarded as a constitutional monarchy or an absolute monarchy is disputed.[13][14][15][16][17][18] Its sole land border is with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain.
In early 2017, Qatar's total population was 2.6 million: 313,000 Qatari citizens and 2.3 million expatriates.[19] Islam is the official religion of Qatar.[20] The country has the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar is classified by the UN as a country of very high human development and is widely regarded as the most advanced Arab state for human development.[21] Qatar is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves.[22]
Qatar has been ruled by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed a treaty with the British in 1868 that recognised its separate status. Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in the early 20th century until gaining independence in 1971. In 2003, the constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, with almost 98% in favour.[23][24] In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as a significant power in the Arab world both through its globally expanding media group, Al Jazeera Media Network, and reportedly supporting several rebel groups financially during the Arab Spring.[25][26][27] For its size, Qatar wields disproportionate influence in the world, and has been identified as a middle power.[28][29] Qatar is currently the subject of a diplomatic and economic embargo by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates(UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt, which began in June 2017. Saudi Arabia has also proposed the construction of the Salwa Canal, which would run along the Saudi-Qatar border, effectively turning Qatar into an island.
And now, with Ravi at the cabin, over these past several days
My brain has enjoyed a much needed sense of down time from
Lion King, Bambi and princesses and princes (who take turns
Saving each other from life’s wicked spells), suggesting that
My storyteller feels ready to return to the rafters above
Center stage in order to review the last portion published
Concerning Annie’s First Kiss, so without further ado
(At least for a while) let’s revisit part two, which will
Lead us forward toward part three, at long last ...
PS
Though I’ve not yet named the one brain function
In need of personal adjustment, intuition suggests
Offering you a detailed explanation concerning that
Which had been unknown a bit later down the road in
Order to move our story forward while my pen is hot to trot
So suffice, for now, to say that, historically, when it comes to
Acknowledging need to create change for the better—I’m on it
PSS
Oh! One last extraordinary announcement for today—
On July 2, 2019, Will arrived home wearing a smile so
Wide that he barely squeezed through the door, and
My spirit laughed right out loud upon hearing
My husband’s gleeful declaration—
I shot a hole in one, today!
