Interview by Elmira Tariverdiyeva, exclusively to VK
The official representative of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Elman Abdullayev, comments on the major trends of Azeri foreign policy.
- How would you characterize current Russian-Azeri relations?
- The level of these relations is very high for today, this relationship can be called strategic partnership. Baku and Moscow have constructed a mutually beneficial relationship in all possible spheres, and this relationship is developing. A lot of official visits are being made, including high-level visits. Russian and Azerbaijani experts and journalists have a high level of cooperation. One can’t pass up the exclusive role of Russia in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Both states are interested in further development of their relationship in all spheres. Just recently the states finished the process of demarcation of their border-line - and it is a great success, as the process lasted for quite a long while. Of course, some issues remain, but they are technical and will be resolved soon. The issue of the two villages that are situated on Azeri territory but are populated with people from Dagestan is also being resolved at state level, and now it is up to the residents of these villages – they can live wherever they choose.
Today the number of spheres of Russian-Azeri cooperation is increasing, and there are many issues on which Baku and Moscow agree almost completely. We are interested in strengthening our bilateral relations, and I think the newly-elected President, Mr Putin, will guarantee that. And our states’ relations are already on a level from which only further progress is possible, no matter who is in power in Russia. The trade turnover between the two states grows constantly, the business communities of the countries have a rather high level of cooperation and interaction. The level of cooperation between the two states in the area of education is also pretty high.
- What can you say about the recent diplomatic successes of Azerbaijan?
- Azerbaijan is increasing its international influence, it participates in many international organizations, like the UN Security Council, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The recent meeting of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers that took place on Azeri soil in Nakhchivan demonstrated that Baku attributes a great deal of attention to regional cooperation and development. Recently Azerbaijan was invited as a special guest to the G20 summit – and this is a great step forward for Azerbaijan.
Also, the Azerbaijani President was invited to the Seoul summit related to nuclear issues. So Azerbaijan is evolving from a regional leader to a strong international player. Azerbaijan is strengthening its economic and military potential, which is natural for a state 20% of whose territory is occupied. Today Azeri foreign policy is aimed at creating an image of a reliable and stable partner in the global arena. The increasing role of Azerbaijan in the frameworks of international organizations – the entrance to the UN Security Council, the election of Azerbaijan to a number of leading positions in the UNESCO organization - all this points to the fact that Azerbaijan’s position in the world is becoming stronger.
- How would you characterize the process of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement? And what’s the role of Russia in this process?
- We all witnessed President’s Medvedev attempt to become a personal mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We appreciate these efforts highly and we hope this initiative will continue in the future. We also hope that the OSCE Minsk Group will become more active – there is a great need for that, as prolongation of the period of the conflict’s unresolved state touches upon all countries of the region. And this conflict isn’t ‘frozen’, as many think, while many powers regard it from a position of double-standards.
The EU has to take a clear position regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. The world has to react to the fact that Yerevan ignores four resolutions of UN Security Council that called for a withdrawal of troops from occupied Azeri territories. It is most surprising, as we see how quickly other resolutions of the Council are being carried out, for example, the one on Libya.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has to be resolved, as if a war breaks out in such an strategically important region, it would make the whole South Caucasus vulnerable, and that can’t leave our neighbors indifferent. The danger of the conflict turning into a shooting war should become a good motivation for the mediators, including the Minsk Group co-chairs, to try to settle it as quickly as possible in accordance with international law.
Today Azeri territories are still occupied and millions of Azeri refugees can’t return to their homes. This concerns the Azerbaijani authorities, but the recent statement made by the Armenian President shows that Armenia is negatively disposed. Armenia wants to maintain the status-quo and tries to hamper the negotiation process. It seems that Yerevan wants to shift the responsibility of aggressor onto someone else, but it is Azeri territory that is being occupied by Armenian troops, and not the other way around. Azerbaijan is very concerned about the fact that the international community chooses to ignore the violations of international laws by Armenia, as well as important principles of international relations, such as a state’s right to territorial integrity. This principle is at the basis of the current global system, all states exist thanks to it, so it can’t be ignored. Of course, we are not opposed to the right of a nation for self-determination, but it still should be carried out for Karabakh in the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Azerbaijan is ready to grant special status and wide autonomy to Karabakh Armenians. However, all our suggestions were ignored by the Armenian authorities.
I think the international community should pay attention to the attempts of Yerevan to create a second Armenian state. But it is unacceptable to alter state borders by force in the 21st century. The international community shouldn’t remain inert. It is a positive moment that the OSCE Minsk Group is monitoring the situation on the border, but the lack of any positive results in 20 years is almost a failure. The conflict can explode in any moment, and it is a great danger to the region. We see how the conflict has affected the development of the South Caucasus, even though Azerbaijan does its best to ensure sustained development of the region. Azerbaijan’s economy has a direct influence on the economy of the region in general, and 80% of the region’s GDP is created by our country. However, the conflict damages not only the general situation in the region, but the economy of Armenia as well. Today’s stagnation is unprecedented. The country is also going through a demographic crisis – 80-90,000 people leave the country every year. The state’s leadership has to think, is it wise to drive the country into such a miserable state by its ambitions. Today the main question is – does Yerevan have the will to resolve the conflict? Unfortunately, today the Armenian government is doing all in its power to maintain the status-quo.
But I think a final resolution of the conflict is inevitable, it can’t remain unresolved for long.
- What is the role of civil diplomacy in this settlement process? Could Armenia’s refusal to participate in the Eurovision contest be regarded as a step back in the dialogue?
- We always believed in civil diplomacy, we believe it can be most effective if both sides have the will. But unfortunately it seems that the Armenian side doesn’t have this will. We saw how Yerevan hampered the meetings of Azeri and Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh communities’ representatives in Berlin and Paris. Azeri representatives came but the Armenian side refused at the last moment. But of course such meetings should take place. Azeri community representatives should have an opportunity to come to Nagorno-Karabakh, to see their homes, to honor the graves of their ancestors. They have this right and the international community shouldn’t idly stand by while this right is being violated. We try to establish relations between the two communities, but Armenia blocks these attempts as if it doesn’t understand that peaceful coexistence of two communities on one territory is the only true path to general peace in the region.
