Think-tanks from BSEC states gather in Baku

By AzerNews

An international forum of think-tanks of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) member states kicked off in Baku on May 17.

The two-day forum on the topic "East-West Strategic Bridge: Security, Development and Integration in the BSEC Region" was organized by the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) under the Azerbaijani President.

Addressing the forum, head of the Presidential Administration's Political Analysis and Information Provision Department, Elnur Aslanov, said that Azerbaijan is a major transport corridor connecting the East and West and it is very difficult to implement regional projects without Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is becoming a center of political and economic as well as inter-religious and intercultural debates, Aslanov said, adding that the country accounts for 75 percent of the economy and 65 percent of the population in the South Caucasus region.

Speaking about the situation in the South Caucasus and Black Sea countries, Aslanov said that Armenia has turned into an area of separatist tendencies.

"Armenia has become a state playing the role of a cancerous tumor in the South Caucasus. Transportation of drugs and weapons here are not controlled by the international community. Therefore, it is inevitable that sooner or later Armenia will collapse," he said.

Touching upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Aslanov said that the Armenian armed forces must withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, in line with the four relevant UN resolutions.

"We would like Armenia to become a state making efforts in establishing peace and stability in the region. But there are difficulties in this regard. Nevertheless, we hope for a peaceful solution of the conflict. If it does not happen, Azerbaijan has extensive opportunities stipulated by international law to liberate its territories," he said.

The international forum, which brings together 20 think thanks from 11 countries, will be continued with panel discussions and end on May 18.