A famous British Newspaper, The Telegraph, presented Azerbaijan as a strategically important country for the United Kingdom.
According to the information provided to Report by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Great Britain, The Telegraph published an article by Elin Suleymanov, the ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United Kingdom, entitled "Restoring peace in the Caucasus".
"In a reflection of the state of global affairs today, a rather straightforward geographic fact placing Azerbaijan as the only nation in the world bordering both Iran and Russia can serve as a content-rich introduction to the challenges and turmoil facing Eurasia," the article says.
With dark storms raging around, the South Caucasus has once again emerged as the vital link between Asia and Europe, a major source for energy diversity and a gateway to Central Asia. Although the calamitous events in the wider region have highlighted the strategic significance of the South Caucasus, the most recent flare-up of hostilities along the border areas of Armenia and Azerbaijan understandably raises concerns about peace and security in the area. Thus, amidst the flurry of international activity, the United States, building on the ongoing efforts by the EU, has stepped up its diplomacy with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken bringing together foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in New York and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hosting his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Washington," reads the article.
As noted, for three decades following the collapse of the USSR, the illegal occupation of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized lands and a major forced displacement of Azerbaijani civilians remained the main threat to stability in the region. With Azerbaijan restoring its territorial integrity during the 44 days war of 2020, the remaining key issue is ensuring lasting peace and normalization in the region. Right after the cessation of hostilities in 2020, Azerbaijan offered steps towards normalization and has since elaborated a five-point road map towards a peace agreement, which includes, among others, mutual recognition of territorial integrity, resumption of economic relations, and delimitation of borders.
On the other hand, despite signing the Russian-mediated November 2020 trilateral statement, Armenia still struggles with making tangible progress on implementing its own commitments.
"With Azerbaijan planning to double deliveries of natural gas to Europe in the near future and the nations of Central Asia working with Baku to speed up the implementation of transportation and communications corridors across the Caspian and onwards to Europe, the potential dividends of peace are increasing, just as are the opportunity costs of delaying the peace process.
Over the last 30 years, Azerbaijan has pursued a balanced, independent policy with a strong emphasis on partnership with western nations on security, energy diversification, and regional cooperation - for example, the UK is the largest single foreign investor in Azerbaijan. Armenia, in turn, joined the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a military alliance, and has steadily deepened its external dependencies. These differences have manifested most recently in each nation's reaction to the war in Ukraine.
As Armenia and Azerbaijan work towards a peace agreement, our partners, including those in the West, should strongly encourage direct talks and progress toward a peace agreement. Lessons from Armenia's own recent history and trials clearly show that opting for a lasting peace with neighbors is the only right choice and that this chance shouldn't be missed," the article stressed.