“How are you? I don’t think it is a good idea to travel to the soccer game in Azerbaijan.” This is the text message I received from my mom a few days ago on WhatsApp (Sorry to put you on the spot like this, Anya!). In order to understand how we got here, we have to go back to June 2019.
Buying tickets for soccer’s largest tournaments in the world is something that is strictly regulated by the hosting association. As an American, there generally is a way for people to buy tickets at face value, and if you aren’t so lucky, you have the opportunity afterwards to pay a hefty premium for these events on third-party resale platforms. As a soccer fan, when I heard that the 2020 rendition of the UEFA European Championship would take place in several countries throughout Europe, two of them being Germany and Hungary, I knew that I had to apply for the chance to buy tickets.
The application process for general fans begins a whole year prior to the start of the tournament. I submitted my application for the chance to buy tickets in Budapest, but the application was denied, as I thought it would be. However, out of nowhere, I got an email again in the middle of August that more tickets were being released and that I was given the opportunity, so I had to act quickly. I was able to either buy some expensive tickets for games in Hungary, or tickets for 30€ each in *insert drumroll here* Baku, Azerbaijan. I don’t know if I was compelled by the affordability of the tickets for the soccer game, by the thrill of adventure, or just by impulsive instinct, but I bought two tickets for a quarterfinal match in Baku.
In that impulsive moment, I clearly didn’t consider the cost of actually getting to Baku. I immediately checked how expensive it was to fly from Berlin to Baku, and it definitely was not as cheap as flying to Budapest. I haven’t made any plans to actually go to Baku yet, just because of how expensive flights there were, but after recently checking again, the cost of going to Baku has decreased considerably.
Now we fast-forward to January 2020, when only a few days after the turn of the New Year, the President of the United States ordered to conduct a military operation to kill Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian general considered by the United States to have been a terrorist leader. I don’t want to offer any political opinions on this blog due to the nature of my grant here in Germany, so I am merely stating the story as it has been reported in the media. This action led many to fear the outbreak of war with Iran and heightened tensions in the Middle East.
It also isn’t a secret that anti-American sentiment has increased abroad, which brings me back to my mom’s message. Azerbaijan is a country that shares a border with Iran. It is also a fact, as the Iranian government itself admitted, that it accidentally shot down a passenger plane leaving Tehran after flying into Iranian military airspace. Since Azerbaijan is so close to Iran, I can understand why my mom would be worried about going to that part of the world, especially since tensions are high. In order to ease her concerns, and maybe my own concerns brought about by her message, I started to research a bit about security in the country, and I was able to come up with these reasons about why Americans traveling to areas around Iran shouldn’t worry too much.
- Azerbaijan, or any country around Iran for that matter, is not Iran. I have not booked a round-trip flight to Tehran, I haven’t even book flights to and from Baku yet. As long as Iran and Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan and the United States are on good political terms, which is the case, then nothing should happen.
- It is true that there have been alerts issued by the US Embassy in Baku that there is an increased risk for attacks against Americans abroad due to the heightened tensions in the Middle East. However, this alert has not only been issued by the embassy in Baku, but also by the embassies in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Hungary, Spain, and several other countries around the world.
- Not only this, but according to the Department of State’s travel advisory website, most countries in Western Europe encourage American travelers to exercise increased caution while in those countries, including the country in which I am currently residing. Below is a map published by the Department of State showing travel advisory levels in different countries.
On this map alone I’ve already been to four countries marked in yellow “exercise increased caution” advisories. Azerbaijan is also marked in yellow. I know it is a little troublesome to see how close the country is to the scary “do not travel” red zone, but the fact of the matter is that going to Azerbaijan is ultimately not being in Iranian territory. After looking at information on security measures for the tournament, I came across an article published by the government of the United Kingdom that described that, like I expected, there would be heightened security measures in place for the duration of the tournament in all host cities across the continent. It is encouraging to know that there is cooperation between host countries’ security officials in preparation for this event, and with people still expected to attend matches in Baku, there is no reason why I shouldn’t watch a match that I have tickets for.
The bottom line here is that there will always be a risk to do something new, such as going to a new country. However, preparing yourself for what you can expect in that new country or doing that new thing is the best thing that you can do to be able to prevent anything from going wrong. So, if I ultimately get over the financial hump of being able to afford flying to Baku, I will be careful and aware as I generally am while in a new place, but I will also remember to just have fun and enjoy my experience during my time there.
Sources used to help write this post:
- https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/ – This is a good resource for those looking to travel to a foreign country to learn more about the country’s culture, important laws to know and abide by, transportation within the country, as well as things to be aware of in order to keep safe during your travels. Also gives contact information for US Embassies/Consulates in each country.
- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/be-on-the-ball-euro-2020#safety-and-security
Teacher Tommy's Travels 