Paul Goble and Fariz Ismailzade's words were added (first version was posted at 19:40)
Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 17 / Trend E.Tariverdiyeva/
Washington hosted several conferences dedicated to Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, and the experts and journalists displayed a great interest in them, since the South Caucasus region is important for the West due to its geography, energy resources and proximity to Iran, the political scientist, former analyst of CIA and Department of State, publicist Paul Goble said on Monday during the video-bridge Moscow-Baku-Washington titled "Russia-Azerbaijan-United States in the context of multi-vector policy", dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan's independence, which is celebrated on Oct. 18.
"I think both the U.S. and Russia should recognize that the South Caucasus region is of interest for both powers, and should conduct very delicate diplomacy in connection with the general interest, dictated by geography, reach energy resources," said Goble.
Economy is not the only reason for the growth of Azerbaijan, but rather a merit of policy by the authorities, said Goble.
The fact that the U.S. is now supporting Azerbaijan is proved by many mutual visits between the two countries, and exactly this tells about the political development of Azerbaijan, the U.S. expert believes.
According to Goble, the OSCE Minsk Group supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, this is the official position of all three co-chair countries, and the way to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is to restore the territorial integrity of the Republic.
Today Azerbaijan is playing a leading role in the region, it is a very important player, which is recognized by many, he said.
"Azerbaijan's role is growing not only as a secular Muslim country, but also as the only successful developing country in the region. The reason for this is not only energy resources, but also balanced foreign policy of the state," said Goble.
A great progress has been observed in Azerbaijan both in economy and in improving social conditions over the twenty years of independence, said projector of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy Fariz Ismailzade.
The main foreign policy goal for Azerbaijan is the stability of the region, which implies de-occupation of lands and return of refugees to their ancestral territories, he said.
"In addition, Azerbaijan's goal is to diversify the economy," said Ismailzade.
According to him, today Azerbaijan is the center of global geopolitics. Republic has very scrutinized relationships with Russia and the United States, unlike the other two countries in the region, allowing it to play its own role in the region, said Ismailzade.
Azerbaijani-implemented integration projects, including transport, energy and others in different countries, prove the stable economic situation in the republic.
"Our country provides gas to many countries in the region. Azerbaijan can and should play a greater role in regional security," said Ismailzade.
General Director of the Caspian Cooperation Institute Sergei Mikheyev said at the meeting that Russia believes in the progress of Azerbaijan and the Caspian region as a whole.
"But we believe that the Caspian region should be a priority firstly for the five Caspian states, said Mikheyev - We really wich Azerbaijan, as our friend, prosperity and economic development".