EUROPE CAN RENDER CONSIDERABLE ASSISTANCE IN RESOLUTION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: HEAD OF CENTRE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES AT AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION.
Trend News Agency
July 9 2008
Azerbaijan
"Improvement of nation’s intellectual basis will determine and
form Azerbaijan’s further competitiveness strategy for a new global
environment," said head of Centre for Strategic Studies attached to
Azerbaijani Presidential Administration.
Trend News’ interview with the head of Centre for Strategic Studies
attached to Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Doctor of
Political Sciences Elkhan Nuriyev:
Question: How successful in terms of Azerbaijan’s positioning and
informing the international community of the truth about Azerbaijan
is the international conference recently held in London through the
assistance of British NGO LINKS? Which issues were mostly disputed
by the audience?
Answer: The London conference is a very interesting and successful
project, which Azerbaijani Centre for Strategic Studies implemented
jointly with British NGO LINKS and the International Institute
for Strategic Studies (IISS). It is pleasant that the conference
took place in the London headquarters of IISS, which is not only a
respectable analytical organization, but first of all is a source of
precise and objective information on international strategic issues
for state figures, politicians, diplomats, scientists, servicemen,
journalists and representatives of West’s elite circles.
At the event, which took place at a very high level, speaking
were specialists whose reports completely satisfied the
participants. Members of our delegation, which included Elnur Aslanov
(a department head at Azerbaijani Presidential Administration), me
as the head of Centre for Strategic Studies attached to Azerbaijani
Presidential Administration, Azar Amiraslanov (MP), Shahmar Movsumov
(head of State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan – SOFAZ) and Tural Karimli
(chairman of non-governmental Human Rights Foundation), informed our
British counterparts of serious information about Azerbaijan in the
format required for national interests. We answered all questions of
our counterparts – from Azerbaijan’s geostrategic role in Europe’s
energy security to possible economic, political and foreign political
challenges which our countries are facing.
There were many positive controversies in all four sessions of the
conference. The issues of current importance on contemporary geo-policy
of Azerbaijan and its geo-strategic significance in South Caucasus,
Caspian Sea reservoir and Black Sea region provoked the interest of
the audience.
At the same time, the focus of our discussions was the resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and important issues such
as comprehensive foreign policy of the country, its further
democratization and consolidation of the civil society. In brief,
high level intellectual dialogue between Azerbaijani and European
specialist were held in London.
Question: It is common knowledge that today Azerbaijan is considered to
be one of the key players in providing energy security of Europe. What
role does Azerbaijan play in diversification of energy supplies to EU?
Answer: The interest to the energy potential and energy strategy
of Azerbaijan is growing by every day in the modern world and the
London conference proved it once again. Lord Dubbs, one of the senior
members of the Chamber of Lords of the Great Britain, Richard Marriott,
official representative of Business and Entrepreneurship Department
of the Great Britain and Mehmet Ogutcu, senior specialist of British
Gaz. transnational company took part in the discussions. In their
speeches the British experts stressed the fact that Azerbaijan has
not only big geo-political significance in South Caucasus and Caspian
Sea, but also big geo-economic significance for the European Union
and energy security of Europe as a whole. It was noted during the
conference that the transnational pipeline projects Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum have played vital role in strengthening of
Azerbaijan’s position in the regional scene and turned the country
into the leading state of South Caucasus. According to the British
analysts, Azerbaijan is not only lobbying and realizing large projects
of geo-political significance, but also creates favorable investment
climate in the region.
Discussions regarding rapid reforming of the economic system of
Azerbaijan were of great interest. Outstanding European economists,
particularly Nicholas Redman, head of the Research Center and Economist
Intelligence Unit magazine, Paul Henri Forestier, a leading expert
of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
and Emre Timurkan, senior specialist of the international company
Citigroup, spoke in London about successful policy of economic reforms,
diversification and realization of Azerbaijan’s stable potential in
the non-oil and gas sector. They noted the rapid economic development
of Azerbaijan and broad strategic outlook of the Government on the
economic upgrade of the country.
Question: One of the issues discussed at the conference was the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. What assistant
could Europe render in the settlement of this lingering conflict?
Answer: The solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute is in
focus of the broad discussions at the fourth session, dedicated to
Azerbaijan’s foreign policy and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and held
under the chairmanship of Oksana Antonenko, the Program Director
for Russia and Eurasia of the International Institute of Strategic
Studies. Following my detailed report, other speakers to the forum
were Dennis Sammut, the Executive Secretary of LINKS, Simon Lunn,
former Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and Roy
Allison, Professor of London school of economic and political sciences.
In my speech I spoke in detail of the foreign policy of our country
and touched upon looking for possible ways of the settlement of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The fact that Azerbaijan pursues balanced,
pragmatic and comprehensive foreign policy was special focus of
attention.
It was noted that the top priority of the comprehensive foreign policy
of our country is the creating large opportunities which provide
ground for every party to put forward their initiatives. Therefore,
Azerbaijan develops friendly relations with Russia, Turkey, Iran,
US, EU and it has an active position in the changeable architecture
of the world order in order to provide stable and secure development
of the state. On their part, the British experts highly appreciated
the success of the Azerbaijani foreign policy achieved as a result of
the balanced policy. According to the European analysts, Azerbaijan is
playing its independent play based on the protection of the national
interests of the country.
As to the discussion of the conflict, it was noted that Azerbaijan
is striving to solve it by peaceful means, however, it has right to
use force at any time to liberate its occupied lands. Azerbaijan’s
position was supported and moreover, British specialists sharply
criticized the inactivity of OSCE Minsk Group. According to experts,
the OSCE Minsk Group chairmen could not reach considerable results in
the resolution of the Armenian and Azerbaijani conflict for many years
because of the lack of healthy pragmatism in their mediation. The
specialist who assembled in London concluded that the OSCE Minsk
Group chairmen should make their mediation efforts more active and
take a firm position concerning destructive forces trying to bring
the negotiation into the deadlock.
I think Europe can render an essential assistance in the resolution
of the conflict. The Armenian -Azerbaijani conflict is a serious
challenge not only for Azerbaijan, but also the entire region. Delay
in the resolution of the conflict hinders the development and deepening
of large-scale cooperation in the regional context.
The international organizations and big powers do not recognize the
‘independence’ of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and it shows
that the international community supports the territorial integrity and
sovereignty of Azerbaijan. The European political experts understand
very well that the lack of considerable progress in the settlement
of the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict is an alarming and destabilizing
factor which affects the security of Europe.
"Therefore, Europe is interested in the settlement of the protracted
confrontation as soon as possible. Much will depend on the success
of the EU bodies’ multilateral cooperation with OSCE and Council of
Europe to create new opportunities in order to develop constructive
dialogue which can lead to the fair and comprehensive settlement of
the conflict.