Expert: New opportunities for co-op open up for Azerbaijan, US

New and unlimited opportunities for cooperation are opening up for Azerbaijan and the US, American journalist, national security analyst and lawyer Irina Tsukerman told Report, commenting on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

She noted that during this period of cooperation, Washington appreciated the important role of Azerbaijan as a political and economic ally in the South Caucasus, but subsequent cooperation will develop even more actively, which is facilitated by the new realities created in the region due to Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh War in 2020.

“Unfortunately, relations between the two countries were limited to energy trade and military cooperation. However, after [Azerbaijan’s] victory in the second Karabakh war and the liberation of territories, the situation has changed dramatically, and the next 30 years already look more promising,” Tsukerman said.

She noted that on the one hand, Washington has provided Azerbaijan with important humanitarian assistance for mine-clearing of the liberated territories, and on the other hand, the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) provides a way out of the energy crisis in Europe, which the US supports.

“The channels are opening for cultural and scientific diplomacy, various economic and business forms of cooperation, such as the development of new forms of energy and high technologies. Although the situation in the South Caucasus has never been a priority for the US, now Baku has the opportunity to discover itself from a new side - not as a party to geopolitical crises, but as a partner who will have something to offer leading US companies, as well as government projects on various issues,” she explained.