After an exhausting 17-round election marathon, Azerbaijan became a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the UN. As the UN website reports, on Friday Azerbaijan was gradually winning votes during 8 rounds of voting, and in the 9th round it received the support of 113 countries. 77 countries voted for Slovenia. On Monday Slovenia got 77 votes again, and the representative of Slovenia withdrew his country's bid. During the last round Azerbaijan got 155 votes, though only 113 were necessary.
Becoming a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the UN for two years is a great diplomatic success for Azerbaijan. The success is not only the result of the hard work of Azerbaijani diplomacy, but also many visits by the UN permanent envoys of various countries to Azerbaijan, which had to be organized. The crucial moment is that Baku managed to use the advantages of its multi-sided foreign policy and gained the support of the Muslim world and the former Soviet countries, including Russia. Choosing Azerbaijan to be a non-permanent member of the UN SC is deserved recognition for the country, which is an example of a link between West and East, North and South, the expert of the Heritage Fund on problems of Russia, Eurasia and international energy policy, Ariel Coen, told Trend.
“Now Azerbaijan will be well-known, contributing to peacemaking processes and prevention of wars,” Coen noted. He thinks that the bid is a great achievement by the Azerbaijani diplomacy team headed by Elmar Mamedyarov.
On the day after the election, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev congratulated his people on this event. “The number of friends of Azerbaijan in the world is growing. I have spoken about it many times. Today we can see there are enough of our friends in the world. Previously such statements weren’t supported by certain results, but the voting confirms these statements. 155 countries trust Azerbaijan, respect Azerbaijan, and support Azerbaijan,” the president said.
However, the question arises: “What will it bring to Azerbaijan?”
It is obvious that the non-permanent membership of Azerbaijan in the Security Council doesn’t mean it will settle all the objectives of Azerbaijani diplomacy, even though it gains political and psychological advantages for Azerbaijan. The most serious problem for the country – the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven neighboring districts – is far from settled, despite four resolutions of the UN Security Council. The head of the Russian Centre for Social and Political Research, Vladimir Yevseyev, told Vestnik Kavkaza that Baku will try to use non-permanent membership as a way to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “I think it will be a favorable platform for their own initiatives. I don’t know whether Azerbaijan will try to use it as a way to settle the conflict or not. Someday such efforts will be taken. A dead-end to the situation is clear, but Azerbaijan will make efforts, as it is a good reason. However, the key point will be the support of other members. Cooperation with other countries is important for Azerbaijan,” Yevseyev said, hinting at the status of Russia and its power of veto in the UN SC.
The statement by Elnur Aslanov, the head of the political analysis and information-provision department under the administration of Azerbaijan’s president, confirms that efforts will be made in this sphere. He told APA that the status of Azerbaijan as a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the UN “will enable to present to the world our just position and raise the Nagorno-Karabakh and other questions.” The same position is adopted by the other top official of the presidential administration, the head of social and political issues department, Ali Gasanov. “For many years Azerbaijan has not been able to reconstruct its territorial integrity. We have more than a million refugees. The Minsk Group of the OSCE has not managed to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Being a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the UN, Azerbaijan can put the issue on violation of its territorial integrity to the agenda of the UN SC,” Gasanov said.
The well-known German expert in the sphere of former Soviet space, Alexander Rahr, told the European bureau of Vestnik Kavkaza that if Baku uses its status only for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the international community wouldn’t like it. Azerbaijan should take responsibility for all security issues in the world, Rahr thinks.
Baku understands this very well. Moreover, Elmar Mamedyarov commented on possible initiatives of Azerbaijan in its new role very carefully. The minster stated that “putting this issue on the agenda of the Security Council depends not only on our will, but also on all interested parties.” It is not only a new opportunity for Azerbaijan, but also a test of maturity. It is a credit of trust by the international community. If Azerbaijan passes the challenge, it will increase its authority in the world.
Orkhan Sattarov, the head of the European bureau of VK.
