Stability and security in Azerbaijan - main success factor of foreign policy - COMMENT

Baku. 10 October. REPORT.AZ/ Ensuring security of states in the modern world is not limited to their borders. Azerbaijan builds its domestic and foreign policy on this principle. Looking at what's happening in the international arena, we see that external factors also influence the country's security and stability.

Azerbaijan is in the list of countries fighting separatism, extremism and terrorism for prevention of unpleasant incidents in the territory of the state. This is also proven by the presence of military personnel in peacekeeping programs.

By the way, a group of peacekeepers of the Azerbaijani army was sent to Afghanistan in accordance with the plan and rotation for serving within NATO-led "Resolute Support Mission”. Peacekeeping mission of the Azerbaijani army in Afghanistan began on November 20, 2002. At present, Azerbaijani Army with 120 servicemen, 2 military doctors and 6 headquarters officers takes part in the mission in Afghanistan.

Azerbaijan is not only one of the states in the South Caucasus, but also a part of the Middle East, Turkic and Islamic world. Therefore, it does not remain indifferent to the events in those regions. As Azerbaijan suffers from terrorism and experiences a problem with refugees and internally displaced persons, it expresses its attitude to similar cases in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and northern Africa and condemns cases that created this situation.

The clashes and the terrorist attacks in the Middle East can infect any state. Amid the global chaos, stability in the country is one of the important issues.

Touching upon this issue at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on 9 October 2018, dedicated to the socioeconomic development of the country and the forthcoming tasks, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said: "Taking into account the current situation in the world, we must say that today stability and security are one of the main factors for each country. Security, tranquility and stability are protected and strengthened in Azerbaijan.

Our well-thought-out policy and support for our policies by the people are the foundation of stability and successful development. The situation in the world and especially in the region we live in is tense, new confrontation and conflicts erupt. The strained situation formed in the recent years is, unfortunately, not eliminated In this situation, of course, we must protect ourselves more from possible external risks. "

Azerbaijan is also interested in the development of international relations on the basis of equality, mutual interests and principles of international law. In this regard, Azerbaijan is a participant and initiator of a number of global and regional projects in the country. Azerbaijan adheres to its commitments in such issues. President Ilham Aliyev touched upon the issue of Azerbaijan's international relations at the government meeting: "I can say that the international position of Azerbaijan was further strengthened in 2018. I had many meetings with my colleagues in both bilateral and multilateral formats. During the nine months I made 12 foreign trips and 15 heads of state and government visited Azerbaijan. This shows that Azerbaijan has a very flexible and multifaceted foreign policy. Agreements reached in bilateral format are being implemented, Azerbaijan is recognized as a reliable partner in the world."

From this point of view, the August-September of the current year was also productive for official Baku. German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Baku last month and discussed bilateral and regional issues. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman paid visit to Azerbaijan. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Azerbaijan to attend the event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from the Dashnak-Bolshevik occupation. Austrian vice-president Heinz-Christian Strache held several official meetings in Baku and discussed energy issues. NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Paolo Alli visited Azerbaijan, talked about cooperation with the country's officials, problems in the region and around the world. President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga paid visit to Baku. First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva paid an official visit to Italy. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Azerbaijan.

Unfortunately, most of the conflicts in world are in the Muslim countries. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation can not affect the solution of these problems in these countries. However, Azerbaijan is interested in the solidarity of the Islamic world. A number of steps have been taken in this direction. For example, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has declared 2017 a Year of Islamic Solidarity in the country. The announcement of Nakhchivan as the capital of Islamic culture can also be considered the result of the steps taken by Azerbaijan towards solidarity of the Islamic world. The President spoke about the activity in this field: “Our activity in Azerabaijan towards strengthening solidarity and unity is highly valued in the Muslim world. We will continue our efforts in this direction ".

The Azerbaijani government also played a sufficient role in the adoption of the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea this year. “I think that this is a historical document and this document fully reflects the national interests of Azerbaijan”, President Ilham Aliyev said at a governmental meeting.

Azerbaijan, not being a member of influential international organizations such as European Union, NATO, develops cooperation with them. The head of state also spoke about the relations with these organizations: “'Partnership Priorities' document was signed between the European Union and Azerbaijan this summer, and I think that this is a very important step and it is an important document. This document highlights many important issues. In particular, the provisions related to the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are both fair and fully reflect our position and our interests."

The President said that the final document of the NATO summit meeting supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Underscoring the territorial integrity in these two issues President Ilham Aliyev also brought the position of official Baku before the international community. In other words, the importance of the return of the occupied Azerbaijani lands is stressed again. The head of state also urged influential international organizations to respect the documents adopted by them. While Azerbaijan fulfills its international commitments, the failure of such organizations to fulfill their duties would damage their reputation and mediation efforts.

The liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions is one of the main problems mentioned by Azerbaijan at all meetings.

The fact of occupation negatively affects the security of the region, economic development and investment in the region. There are numerous reports of terrorist groups from different countries training in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. This gives a ground to say that the occupation of Azerbaijani lands is a threat to the international security as well. Azerbaijan continues its efforts to ensure its territorial integrity and to resolve this conflict threatening international security.

The President pointed out that the position of official Baku on the settlement of the conflict remains unchanged: "The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has never been and will never be the subject of negotiations. Therefore, we will preserve our principled position. I hope that new leadership of Armenia will demonstrate constructiveness in its policies and our lands will soon be liberated."

This can also be considered as a time given to the new forces coming to power in Armenia to think and prepare for withdrawal from the occupied lands. Because Azerbaijan is able to restore its territorial integrity by military means. This issue was emphasized in the speech of the President: "Our army's combat capacity is at a high level. Our army has shown it and demonstrated it on the battlefield. "

Speaking at the governmental meeting, the president said that foreign policy course and development of international relations play one of the leading roles in ensuring Azerbaijan's security.