Monterey and Lankaran, 2011
The official sister-city proclamation was signed in June, 2011 by the Monterey City Council and by high-ranking officials from the city and county of Lankaran. A delegation of Azerbaijan officials was in town all week to learn about Monterey County. Eliu Suleymanov, Azerbaijan's consul general came from Los Angeles to be part of the signing ceremony. He said the delegation is particularly interested in Monterey's tourism and education industries, with the expectation the group will take back ideas for its own planning. While Lankaran, population 120,000, boasts a location on the golden coast of the Caspian, the coastline is practically abandoned.
The group was impressed with Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row development and its Coastal Recreation Trail. In addition to its oil economy, the city of Lankaran takes significant pride in its tea. Lankaran is a subtropical paradise and resort. It is located in the southeast of Azerbaijan practically on the border with Iran. In the east the city is washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea. The nature of Lankaran harmoniously combines high mountain tops, fertile lowlands and pebbly sea coasts.