Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 20
Trend:
It has been just a few weeks, but 2017 is already turning out to be a hugely tumultuous year in global geopolitics, Nasimi Aghayev, Azerbaijan’s consul general to the Western US, based in Los Angeles, wrote in his article posted on The Hill.
“The world is watching to see where the new US administration will put its diplomatic resources and energy,” the article said. “The stakes are particularly high, as new or revived tensions have driven peaceful nations into an era of instability, and for some, hostility and aggression remain unchecked.”
There are so many important areas that need attention, but the dangerous Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict may offer a great opportunity for this new administration, Aghayev wrote, adding that the resolution of this long-standing conflict in the strategically important South Caucasus region could foster numerous strategic, political, economic and cultural benefits.
“Nagorno-Karabakh remains the longest running and most dangerous conflict in the former Soviet Union,” said the article. “The outbreak of deadly violence last April, which was the largest since the ceasefire of 1994, vividly showed the huge vulnerability of the current status quo and the need for the conflict’s soonest resolution.”
All major international organizations, including the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, Council of Europe, European Parliament, NATO, OIC, NAM and many others have condemned the occupation and expressed support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, according to the article.
The European Court of Human Rights in its ruling from 2015 confirmed the facts of occupation and ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijan’s territory, the article said.
Yet the occupation continues due to lack of international pressure on Armenia to force its compliance with the international law, Aghayev wrote.
The US is one of the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group alongside Russia and France tasked with mediating the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, reads the article.
It is to be hoped that with the new administration in Washington, D.C. the US will intensify its efforts as a conflict mediator to bring about a resolution of this conflict firmly based on international law, ending the occupation and allowing the refugees to return to their homes and lands, the article said.
The current status quo is detrimental not only to the development of the South Caucasus region, but also has wider global implications, reads the article.
Today Azerbaijan is at the helm of significant geostrategic developments, such as the TANAP/TAP Gas Pipeline that will soon deliver huge amounts of Caspian natural gas to Europe, or the New Silk Road with the construction of transcontinental network of highways, railways, waterways and airports connecting China and India with Europe, Aghayev wrote.
Azerbaijan has been a key partner to the US in trade, fighting terror, and securing peace, the author wrote.
“Azerbaijan’s role as a rare ally in an unpredictable region offers enormous opportunity for positive change on a global scale and yet the potential success of these many factors is threatened by the continuing occupation of its territory,” said the article.
It is time for the US and other global powers to act to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and finally bring lasting peace to the Caucasus, the author wrote, adding that it should be a priority for the new administration of the US.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.