TODAY.AZ / Politics

Seminar on "Strategic significance of Azerbaijan" held in Baku

09 June 2005 [09:31] - TODAY.AZ
Azerbaijan becomes the regional leader and changes in the region started with the signing of the “Contract of the Century” in 1994, the head of the President’s administration office foreign relations department, Novruz Mammadov, stated at the seminar held at the International Press Club on ”Geo-strategic significance of Azerbaijan”, Trend reports.
He noted that the strategic importance of Azerbaijan is partly related to its geographical position. Mammadov said, that Azerbaijan serves a gate for the Caspian energy resources. “Azerbaijan is very flexible. We are capable of influencing positively on the neighbors and at the same time to expand bonds with eastern countries”, the official of the Presidential Administration.

Touching upon the Karabakh problem, Mammadov stated that the Armenian leadership continues to insist on continuation of the aggressive separatism against their own interests, instead of becoming the constituent part of the integration processes. The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be respected and any changing of borders is unacceptable. Hypocrisy leads to double standards”, Mammadov emphasized. The best way out for all sides is the support of the rule of the international right. «Azerbaijan adheres to it and expects it from others”, Mammdov said.

The Presidential Administration spokesman stressed, that the purely western model of democracy is, on the whole, unacceptable for Islamic countries, but Azerbaijan could be an example in carrying out reforms in this field.

MP Asim Mollazade noted that Georgia cannot get rid of the Russian military base on its territory so far. “But Azerbaijan could achieve it in its time, but was punished for that: a considerable part of our territories today is under occupation”, Mollazade said.

Noting that Azerbaijan chose the road of integration into the European field and realizes energy projects, which will promote the economical development of the country and the region, the deputy said, that it is time to stop the policy of rivalry and start the policy of partnership. «The main vector of development for Azerbaijan is membership in the European Union and NATO. The people of Azerbaijan and Georgia want to adopt the European values, which will be guarded by NATO.

Without the European and NATO standards our country will never be able to flow into the civilized space”, Mollazade underlined. He denied the allegations that the geo-strategic importance of Azerbaijan lies in the energy factor. The basic factor for this region is the intellect of the peoples of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. «We believe, that Armenia will join, in its time, the rest countries of the region, in their strivings. But today Armenia is in the hands of an individual and a group of persons, who must stand the international tribunal for the crimes against humanity”, Mollazade said. According to him, today the people of Armenia start to be aware of the failure of the foreign policy line of his country. «Relieving Armenia from the presence of foreign forces (Russia) on its territory will create the opportunity for establishing peace: the parliamentarian thinks”.

Mollazade stressed the US role in the development of GUAM. «This organization allows us to stop any games, and having started the partnership with the neighbours, with Russia, first, to integrate into the meanwhile into the European space. Only the democracy creates the opportunity for the integration”, summarized Mollazade. He expressed hope that the international organizations will urge on Armenia to observe the international law standards.

Head of the socio-political section of the Presidential Administration, Fuad Akhundov, noted, that forces, who will direct their activities against Azerbaijan, will suffer from their own actions. As an example he reminded of the counteraction of Russia in her time against realization of the BTC project. «But those forces that were against the BTC are gradually disappearing. The forces, talking of the incompatibility of the principles of the territorial integrity and the international law, seek to make Azerbaijan and Armenia incompatible”, Akhundov said.

The Presidential Administration spokesman noted, that Azerbaijan carries out multi-vector policy, thanks to which realization of the BTC projects, linking the West and the East and the project of the transport corridor North-South, connecting Russia with Iran became possible. Having marked the rapid growth of the Azerbaijani economy, Akhundov underlined the respective growth also the military expenses of Azerbaijan, with whom Armenia will no be able to compete in the nearest time.

He also marked the availability of forces, wishing to influence the situation inside Azerbaijan. Having reminded, that according to some polls, the Azerbaijan’s President enjoys authority by the 77% of the population, Akhundov said that “We are ready to talk to the remaining minority, but we not accept the language of ultimatum”.

Head of the Centre for social sciences of Georgia, Giorgi Khilashvili stated, that the partnership of Azerbaijan and Georgia is based on the political stability and the strategic partnership. “Georgia understands that it must go on the way to integration together with Azerbaijan. At the same time we understand, that the Azerbaijani people took not the revolutionary way of development, but the evolutionary one”, he said. Helashvili noted, that Georgia tries to reduce its energy dependence from Russia and in this respect stressed the important role of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. According to him, Georgia is also interested in rendering aid to Azerbaijan by the West in development of the energy resources and ensuring security in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. «One more strategic goal, uniting two countries, is the solution of conflicts. Here we are also partners with Azerbaijan for lessening the Russia’s role in the conflicts settlement. We rely on the growing role of the USA and Europe in this process and Russia impedes solving these problems”, he stated.

The former OSCE Minsk group co-chair from Russia (1992-1996), Vladimir Kazimirov, warned Azerbaijan of resumption of the military actions. In his opinion, if Baku chooses the military way for the conflict solution, then the opportunity for use of the benefits and potential of its geostrategic position will be reduced considerably. Having noted, that the Armenian side considers its priority the status of the Nagorno Karabakh, and the Azerbaijani side – liberation of the occupied territories, the diplomat underlined, that he considers neither of these issues priority. In his view, guarantees of non –resumption of the military actions are in the foreground. “One should refrain from the shootings and exchange of fire at the frontline and military rhetoric. All attempts to resort to force again must be removed, therefore, there is no alternative to the peaceful solution of the conflict”, the Russian diplomat thinks.

Kazimirov noted that stage-by-stage settlement, for which Azerbaijan stands, is only possible under the guaranteed retaining of the truce regime. He stressed, that the conflict cannot be solved by military way, as renewal of military actions will bring to the catastrophe for people, innumerous victims from both sides, tremendous loading for the economy, the threat for the conflict expanding and undermining of the democratic development. The diplomat does not exclude that the success may be reached by way of the “quick war”, but for that, in his opinion, it is necessary to have a great superiority in force and weaponry, that Azerbaijan will not in the nearest 5 years”. “And the prolonged war will be a failure for its initiator. The UNO, OSCE and CE will condemn immediately the state, that renewed military actions, and demand from it to stop it”, Kazimirov stated.

Ex-state adviser on political issues, Vafa Guluzade, voiced his agreement with the assertions on possible rehabilitation of war. «However, it will an American peace, as Russia lost it’s all chances to bring peace,» Guluzade stressed.

Guluzade regards the Karabakh conflict in the context of Russia’s will for repatriation of its troops to Azerbaijan as peacekeepers and resolve the conflict on this basis. He is against specification of the Karabakh problem as the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. This is an Azerbaijani-Russian conflict for hegemony in the South Caucasus. «Russian knows well if it loses the South Caucasus it will lose the North Caucasus, too. It has lost the South Caucasus except Armenia, but the time will reach when it will also get released from the Russian influence,” Guluzade stated.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/19580.html

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