RIA Novosti, Russia
March 13, 2009 Friday 12:38 PM GMT+3

Obama look-alike in Azerbaijan becomes local celebrity

MOSCOW March 13

A man in Azerbaijan bearing a striking resemblance to U.S. President
Barack Obama has become a celebrity in the ex-Soviet Caucasus state, a
popular Russian daily said on Friday.

Asif Mustafayev, 31, an artist with tanned skin and curly hair, is
called "our Obama" by his fellow villagers, who often drop to his
place with their guests from the capital, Baku, to show off the local
look-alike of the world’s No.1 leader, Vremya Novostei said.

Mustafayev earns his living by painting advertising hoardings,
decorating schools and sprucing up the tourist centers that abound in
the picturesque mountainous area, but has now often to leave his
workshop to pose for a picture with fellow villagers and visitors, the
paper said.

He does not seem to mind his neighbors’ frequent intrusions and
invitations like "Hey, Obama, let’s have tea and a heart-to-heart
chat." Asif enjoys his new popularity and has even changed his
artist’s smock for a decent suit, the paper said.

He has grown more interested in politics since his resemblance with
Obama was noticed by village elders, who keep up to date with world
news, the paper reported.

In an interview with an Azerbaijani television channel, Asif said he
dreamt of meeting with Obama one day to tell him about Azerbaijan and
his view of its dispute with Armenia over Nagorny Karabakh.

Asif’s village is in the Gabala region, which hosts a Russian
anti-missile radar monitoring the Middle East. The radar could become
a point of contention between Moscow and Washington as Russia’s lease
agreement expires in 2012.