Baku is considered to be a geostrategic link between Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
The history of the NATO-Azerbaijani partnership can boast almost 20 years of cooperation. Azerbaijan is one of the most active partners not only in the South Caucasus but in the entire world; the country is involved into more than 250 programs and various projects carried out by NATO. More than 50 events annually are hosted by Azerbaijan within the framework of NATO-Azerbaijani partnership. Talk about the possibility of Azerbaijan’s entrance into NATO is not new, but it seems like nowadays NATO-Azerbaijani relations have picked up stream.
The embassies of the NATO member-states in Azerbaijan have proclaimed April to be a month which symbolizes partnership with NATO; this summer the visit of NATO Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is expected in Azerbaijan. During one of the news conferences of the NATO coordinator in Azerbaijan, Romanian ambassador, Nikolae Ureke said that Turkey, as a NATO member for almost 50 yearsб could aid the integration of Azerbaijan into the Alliance.
"Without doubt, such close cooperation of both sides will result in the full membership of Azerbaijan,” - Ureke said.
Azerbaijan is NATO's vital partner, since this country provides a geostrategic link between Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. Since 1992 NATO specialist have been consulting with Azerbaijan in issues of military development and the establishment of a new civil defense system. However, Azerbaijan can provide NATO armed-forces with a safe transit to carry out anti-terrorist campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
NATO authorities have been discussing the establishing of a new southern route through Ukraine, the Black Sea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Currently, the delivery of forces and goods for the Afghan campaign is carried out through the territory of Pakistan, which is not safe. Due to attacks on the delivery convoys only half of the goods reach the receiving point. NATO officials are well aware of this problem and obviously the diversification of transit routes is indispensable, while Azerbaijan is the key country for the successful realization of this idea. Despite the strategic military importance of Azerbaijan, this country also plays important role in European energy security.
It is quite obvious that Azerbaijan is a welcome country for the Alliance. But there is another question, how can Azerbaijan benefit from entry into NATO? Being aware of its geostrategic importance, Azerbaijan has become a self-sufficient partner of the western power and does not rush to enter into the Alliance, without being fully assured that the cooperation within the framework of NATO will be advantageous for Azerbaijan. That is why the Azerbaijani attitude to NATO-membership was level-headed, unlike Georgia's. Firstly, Baku prefers to keep good relations with all the neighbor-states. I assume that due to the intensification of commercial and political contacts with Russia, Azerbaijan will not join the Alliance in the near future, since it will be too risky for relations with Russia. Secondly, Iran's reaction to the possible NATO-membership of Azerbaijan, which has a common border with Iran, can be unpredictable. Moreover, Azerbaijan’s neighbor-states: Russia, Iran, Turkey and Georgia, do to not threaten the security of the country. As for the conflict with Armenia, it is doubtful that western powers will risk getting involved.
NATO has too many problems in Iraq and Afghanistan, to let itself get involved in the territorial conflict of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Baku is well aware of NATO's attitude to this problem, therefore Russia and member-states of the OSCE Minsk Group seem to be more likely intermediaries between the conflict states. Azerbaijan has reasons to doubt NATO's interference in the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Being involved with a territorial conflict with Armenia, Azerbaijan has made several attempts to establish partnership with NATO on the basis of guaranteed security. But the NATO authorities have explained that undertaking new defense commitments requires is a very complicated procedure, and it is hardly possible that NATO member-states will support it.
On the "pros" and "cons" of Azerbaijan’s NATO membership, it is quite obvious that nowadays this will bring more problems then cooperation with the Alliance as active partner.
Elmira Tariverdieva, Baku. Exclusively for VK.
