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Former intelligence assessment director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense: â€œAzerbaijan is still an important part of US interests in the regionâ€

15 November 2011 12:07 (UTC +04:00)

Washington. Isabel Levine â€“ APA. In its latest research, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said Azerbaijan continues to maintain close ties with the US and such ties will continue to weigh on Iranian perceptions, and limit Tehranâ€™s influence in the countryâ€.
â€œHowever, Iran remains a significant power in the region, and Baku can afford to neither provoke nor ignore itâ€, APA Washington correspondent was told by CSIS researchers.
One of the authors, Anthony H. Cordesman, CSIS analyst and former director of intelligence assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as civilian assistant to the deputy secretary of defense, reminds that, Azerbaijan is not a critical component of US-Iranian strategic competition, but it is still an important part of US interests in the region.
He reminds that, Azerbaijan is a significant component of the US logistical effort to sustain military operations in Afghanistan. â€œIt offers one of the main over flight, refueling and landing routes for US and coalition troops bound for Afghanistan, and a major land route for military fuel, food and construction suppliesâ€.
â€œAzerbaijanâ€™s oil wealth is a potential focal point in the contest between the US and Iranian interests in the Caucasus. Since independence, Azerbaijan, with access to the most readily retrievable oil reserves in the Caspian Sea, was an attractive destination for Western corporationsâ€, the research shows, â€œThe US and Azerbaijan have signed a bilateral trade agreement, which entered into force in April 1995 and confers upon Azerbaijan the status of most favored nation. US companies are involved in offshore oil development projects with Azerbaijan and have been exploring the emerging investment opportunities. Bilateral trade amounted to about $2.3 billion in 2010â€.
According to the authors, â€œmuch will depend on US dialogue with Azerbaijan, US aid, and Azeri confidence that the US will remain a key player in the regionâ€.
Comparing to Azerbaijan, the report says, in Armenia, meanwhile, Iran plays a significant economic role and has bolstered its influence by playing on a mutual wariness of Azerbaijan and Turkey. â€œDesperately needing a regional ally, Armenia has welcomed Iranian support."