Live debate on Azeri TV focuses on foreign policy priorities

Space TV, Baku
28 Mar 05

The 28 March edition of a live TV debate sponsored by the British NGO
Links and broadcast on Azerbaijani Space TV discussed conceptual
aspects of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.

The participants in the debate were members of Azerbaijan’s permanent
delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, MP
Asim Mollazada and MP Gultakin Haciyeva, the head of the Foreign
Ministry department for human rights, democratization and humanitarian
problems, Alimirzamin Asgarov, and political scientist Leyla Aliyeva.

Asim Mollazada said that the priorities of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy
should be defined by the will of the people. He said the country’s
foreign policy was influenced by the Armenian “aggression” against the
country and its consequences, as well as Azerbaijan’s aspiration to
find its place in the international arena.

Asim Mollazada went on to say that as a young state Azerbaijan cannot
conduct a “balanced” or “complementary” foreign policy, and should
pursue a specific line. At the same time, Azerbaijan should conduct a
“normal” foreign policy with regard to its neighbours and “certain
forces” in the region, he said.

Mollazada noted that Azerbaijan has to shape its cooperation with
other forces in a way that will ensure its national security. He
stressed that cooperation with Armenia in the sphere of security could
be harmful for Azerbaijan. The MP also opposed Armenia’s description
of its own foreign policy as “complementary”, meaning that Armenia is
cooperating with all countries and organizations, and therefore, is
successful in its foreign policy.

Mollazada also said that the West was not yet worried about the
rapprochement between Azerbaijan and Russia, as Russia is not yet seen
by the West as dangerous. He added that Azerbaijan was a secular, not
Islamic state, which should be reflected in its policy. Touching on
the Prague talks on the Karabakh conflict, he said he expects nothing
from them as “it is clear to us that the current Armenian leadership
will not agree to peace”.

However, it does not mean that Azerbaijan should start a war now, he
added. Azerbaijan should work to prove to the world that its position
is correct.

He noted that Azerbaijan was lagging behind Europe, the Baltic states,
Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova because of “the serious blow” that
Azerbaijani officials dealt to the country’s international image with
their “arbitrariness” during the elections.

In turn, Gultakin Haciyeva also said that national interests should
define foreign policy priorities. Stressing that Azerbaijan orients
itself to the West in its foreign and domestic policy, she said that
the country had chosen “very correctly” the “progressive” direction in
its foreign policy. She said that besides Armenia and Azerbaijan, the
interests of many parties were involved in the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict, including Russia and the USA. Although the USA realizes that
the talk here is about the integrity of Azerbaijan, it is now more
interested in forming a South Caucasus security system, and it would
be “naive” to think that the Karabakh conflict will be resolved before
this system is formed, she stressed. As for the Prague talks, she said
she had no “serious hopes” in this connection.

At the same time, Alimirzamin Asgarov said the priority of
Azerbaijan’s foreign policy is to defend the interests of the state
and society in the international arena. He said that the resolution of
the Karabakh problem and cooperation within the framework of
international organizations are one of the country’s foreign policy
priorities. There was hope that the Prague talks would yield a result,
but Armenia is still taking a non-constructive position, he noted.
Commenting on President Ilham Aliyev’s foreign trips, Asgarov said
that the president’s visits to eastern countries, including Iran and
Saudi Arabia, were normal.

For her part, Leyla Aliyeva singled out the security and political
factors in the country’s foreign policy. She said that the security
factor and Azerbaijan’s geopolitical location compel it to conduct a
balanced foreign policy, but in terms of “national dignity” a
Western-oriented foreign policy is “closer” to Azerbaijan.

Aliyeva said that Armenia was still seeing itself as a non-independent
country, otherwise “it would definitely hold serious talks with
Azerbaijan”. She added that there is more an “imitation” of talks
between the two sides because both, especially Armenia, are trying to
exert pressure on each other with the help of a third side. Yerevan is
trying to put pressure on Azerbaijan with the help of a third party in
order to make Azerbaijan establish economic ties with Armenia.

Leyla Aliyeva said that the West was worried about Moscow’s “political
influence” on Azerbaijan because there are some “authoritarian and
totalitarian tendencies” in Russia. She said Azerbaijan should be
playing a leading role in brining the region closer to Europe.