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Farhad Mammadov: â€œEnsuring Georgiaâ€™s energy security, making great investments in this country, Azerbaijan creates conditions for its real independenceâ€

04 May 2013 08:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. "Each of the three South Caucasus republics chose their paths of development after having gained independence,” Farhad Mammadov, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, said while making a speech on “Security issues and conflicts in the South Caucasus region” at the round table at Princeton University, press service of the SAM told APA.

Mammadov said that these paths sometimes contradict each other: “Unfortunately, the South Caucasus couldn’t become a perfect region in terms of political, economic or cultural integration. Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Georgia is a positive example. Thus, sound relations were established between the two countries basing on the principle of mutual benefit and mutual dependence over the last twenty years. Azerbaijan’s main oil and gas pipelines run through Georgia, it is constructing railway lines here and has invested more than $ 3 billion in the economy of this country. Currently, Azerbaijan accounts for 80% of all funding of the region and 76% of the gross domestic product of the South Caucasus countries. Ensuring Georgia’s energy security, making great investments in this country, Azerbaijan creates conditions for its real independence. However, the third state in the region Armenia has isolated itself from regional integration process due to its aggressive policy.

Azerbaijan and Turkey had to close borders with the aggressor state as it occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territories and conducted ethnic cleansing policy against the Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

Mammadov said the South Caucasus may become economically developed, strong region if conflicts are settled, mutually beneficial cooperation is established among the regional states: “Conflicts in the South Caucasus are the major threats to regional security and make the entire region dependent.”

On the other hand, incomplete decisions, such as the US-backed efforts to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations should not be realized in the region. Turkey closed the borders with Armenia, as this country occupied Azerbaijani territories. It is impossible to open the borders unless the occupied territories are liberated. This is the only way of punishment for the aggressor state. Otherwise, Armenia will be confident of its impunity. This U.S. step has undermined its prestige in Azerbaijan. Thus, Azerbaijani people see that the U.S. calls events in the South Ossetia and Abkhazia as “aggression”, while fail to take unambiguous and practical steps on Nagorno-Karabakh.

SAM director noted that terrorism, religious fundamentalism and other global tendencies are threats for the South Caucus: “The settlement of the conflicts can create conditions for efficient activity against regional threats. As long as there are uncontrolled zones such as Nagorno Karabakh producing arms and narcotic substances and engaging in illegal activity in the region, we can not say that the South Caucasus is a safe region.”