Secuity in S. Caucasus discussed in Baku

An international conference entitled “Security challenges in the South Caucasus: realities and prospects of regional development” was held in Baku within the joint project of the Strategic Research Center under the President of Azerbaijan and British International Institute of Strategic Researches.

Chief of the political analysis and information department of the Presidential Administration Elnur Aslanov said Azerbaijan was located in one of the world’s hot spots –South Caucasus and the development and stability is out of the questions while there is no security.

“Azerbaijan is a unique country in the region, which pursues independent foreign policy in such condition and became leading country of the region."

He said economic growth was 30 percent a year in 2005-2007 and it was 7 percent during the economic and financial crisis in the world.

Poverty level reduced from 49percent to 13 percent, unemployment – from 10percent to 6.5 percent, which is average European indication.

Aslanov said Azerbaijan was one of the countries playing an important role in the European energy security. The government official focused the attention on non-solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem and called the regions a “grey zone” in Europe.

In his opinion, this issue should concern everyone, because good environment was created there for the organized crime.

He said the international community confined itself to criticize the occupation instead of providing fulfillment of UN Security Council resolutions.

“There should be different attitude toward the aggressor and those who faced with aggression."

First vice-speaker of Azerbaijani parliament Ziyafat Asgarov said Azerbaijan was pursuing balanced foreign policy and it was the most optimal policy.

Noting that Azerbaijan was cooperating with the West in several energy projects, Asgarov said Azerbaijan had not profited from this cooperation in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“Minsk group has done nothing within 18 years. Is the world community expecting Nagorno-Karabakh to go to the situation in Palestine? The international law can not cope with Armenia,” he said.

“If the policy of the U.S. depends on Armenian Diaspora, this is very ridiculous, I do not want to believe it," Asgarov said.

Research fellow of the International Institute for Strategic Studies Oksana Antonenko, analyst from the Jamestown Foundation Vladimir Sokor, senior fellow of Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies Archil Gegeshidze and others addressed the conference.

/APA/