1 June 2009

Press release

Today in the Museum of History of National Academy of sciences of Azerbaijan under the chairmanship of President NASA of academician Mahmud Kerimov the ceremonial meeting devoted to the 150 anniversary by Emmanuel Nobel and the 130 anniversary from the date of establishment of Association of oil manufacture of Nobel brothers, in which take part members of Presidium of National Academy of sciences, a management of the Baku Nobel Heritage Fond(BNHF) and guests of honour of Fund : the chairman of Public Chamber of Russia, President of Russian Sciences Center of «Kurchatovsky Institute», the Chairman of the Russian Nobel Heritage Fund, academician Velihov E.P., representatives of Nobel family the president of the Nobel Charitable Fund professor Michael Nobel and the trustee of the Society of the Nobel Family Gustav Nobel, and also the special representative the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, the ambassador of this country in region of Southern Caucasus Hans-Gunnar Aden.

At session the outstanding role of Emmanuel Nobel in development of a science and a petroleum industry of Azerbaijan has been noted. Under its management oil association of Nobel brothers - Branobel - in the XX-th century beginning became the second largest and first vertically integrated oil company in the world, extracting more than 70 million barrels of oil in a year. To Nobels belong to a know-how of creation of the first tanker to which the name of  “Zoroastr”, idea of continuous prorolling of oil and building of an oil pipeline of Baku-Batumi, the organization of modern system of sale and marketing has been given. It has been underlined that the oil association of Nobel brothers is the family business in which to most known of Nobel brothers - Alfred, the dynamite king and the person who has founded the most prestigious award in the world, belonged the big share holding - at various times to 25 % was valid. It is historically proved that from 15 to 20 % of means, which were bequeathed by Alfred Nobel to the Nobel Committee are there was the money obtained by it and received in the form of dividends, sales of actions etc. from activity of “Branobel”. In performances of representatives of National Academy of sciences, of  Nobel family and of academician Velihov E.P. the appreciation of responsibility of Nobels to the workers and the personnel, readiness to the all-round help, to charity and patronage of arts sounded. To 40 % of profit of “Branobel” it was allocated for charity. Their socially-focused model of business dealing also is now actual.

It has been ascertained that Nobels, in particular Emmanuel Nobel gave a great attention to development of a fundamental and practical science. It was the founder of the Baku Branch of the Imperial Russian Technical Society (BO ИРТО). In 1907 in honour of it at the initiative of Rothschild other powerful dynasty at BO ИРТО the special award in the field of oil has been founded. This award stood out four times. After expropriation by Bolsheviks of of “Branobel” and exile of Nobels from Baku the Company property has been nationalized, also Nobels suddenly have lost practically everything though have not lost faith in a science, formation and the highly technological industry. They loved Baku, Azerbaijan, and considered as their second native land. Created under Ludwig Nobel's project, father of Emmanuel, Villa Petrolea settlement in «the Black City» in Baku became a part of its rich historical heritage.

So the Baku stage of a life of Nobels - almost - sated with the big discoveries, technological breaks, struggle for leadership in a competition to such giants of world capitalism as Rockefellers, Rothschild company and other leading oil industry workers of that time has come to the end 40 years.

As the Chairman of BFNN Togrul Bagirov has told, Nobels in Azerbaijan is there was a whole epoch. Present "returning" of Nobels to Azerbaijan has taken place only thanks to support and home nursing of Its Excellency of the President of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev.