On October 19-20, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the United States, Khazar Ibrahim, paid a working visit to Pennsylvania to participate in the Drake Forum, held in the cities of Oil City and Titusville.
As part of the forum, a presentation of the book "10 Reasons Why a Carpet Can Make You Happy" by Amina Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, was held at the historic National Transit Building in Oil City.
A meeting with representatives of the city’s cultural community was also organized during the event.
The National Transit Building was constructed in 1890 by John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company and currently serves as a community center.
Later, a reception organized by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the United States took place at Pipeline Alley, located next to the National Transit Building. Azerbaijani wines and sweets were presented to the guests.
Following the reception, an exhibition titled "Oil and Icon" was unveiled in the exhibition hall of the National Transit Building. The exhibition by Azerbaijani Honored Artist Irina Eldarova is a continuation of her project presented at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
The event featured speeches by Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the United States, Khazar Ibrahim; Amina Malikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum; and Andrew Tabler, President of the Drake Energy Forum.
The event also included a presentation of a proclamation marking the 250th anniversaries of the United States and Oil City. In response to a proclamation issued by Oil City Mayor John Kluck on the occasion of Azerbaijan’s May 28 Independence Day, given the sister-city relationship between Oil City and Baku’s Sabail district, Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim read out the proclamation and presented it to the mayor.
On October 20, 2026, the second day of the Drake Conference, Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim participated in and addressed a panel discussion titled "Energy, Security and the New Global Economic Geography" at the Drake Well Museum.
The Drake Well Museum is located in Titusville, Pennsylvania, and commemorates the first commercially successful oil well drilled using modern industrial methods in the United States in 1859.
The panel discussion was moderated by Will Polen, Chief Executive Officer of the United States Energy Association. Other participants included Catherine Bock, Senior Strategy and Governance Specialist at the European Investment Bank’s Washington office; Alexis Harmon, Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center; Don Hauser, Pennsylvania Director of Government Affairs at Berkshire Hathaway Pipelines; and Michael Knights, Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Engage.
The speakers exchanged views on the current state and development trends of global energy markets, the impact of ongoing conflicts on energy security, the role of critical minerals in supply chains, and investment projects aimed at supporting energy diversification.
In his remarks, Ambassador Ibrahim briefed participants on Azerbaijan’s strategic energy projects implemented amid a challenging and volatile political environment. He emphasized that Azerbaijan’s energy policy is based on investing in the country’s independence through the diversification of its resources, while also promoting regional cooperation and stability.
Following the panel discussion, Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim presented a design for a commemorative plaque, on behalf of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is planned to be installed at the Drake Well Museum.
It was noted that the plaque design highlights a tradition associated with the opening ceremonies of Azerbaijan’s strategic energy projects initiated by National Leader Heydar Aliyev, during which oil was applied to the face by hand.
The commemorative plaque is intended to honor the manual labor of oil industry workers in Azerbaijan and the United States, the shared oil heritage of the two countries, and the contribution of the energy industry to security, cooperation and development around the world.