Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 17 / Trend , J. Babayeva /
The U.S. Former Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, speaking in Baku on Sept. 16 in front of students of the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA), shared his views on international issues.
Participating in a roundtable on "Global Challenges and the U.S. role in international relations in the 21st century", Armitage touched on a wide range of issues, including the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the global financial crisis and its impact on the U.S. role in the world financial system, the US-China relations, the security situation in the Caucasus and the development of the US-Azerbaijani relations, the ADA told Trend .
Armitage highly appreciated the ongoing reforms in Azerbaijan.
The U.S. Former Deputy Secretary of State has arrived in Azerbaijan upon the invitation of the ADA.
Rector of the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, Deputy Foreign Minister Hafiz Pashayev expressed his appreciation for the role, played by Richard Armitage in the early 1990's as the coordinator of the U.S. aid to former Soviet republics: "Mr. Armitage was one of the first people in the U.S. political establishment, who understood the importance of the Caspian region, and stood on the principles of humanism, followed the direction of assistance to refugees and IDPs in Azerbaijan. He took this step despite the pressure from the ethnic lobby, which the Azerbaijani people will never forget. "