Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 29 / Trend , S.Agayeva/ Interview with Elkhan Nuriyev, head of the Strategic Research Centre at the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, for Trend
Question: What is your appraisal to the Strategic Research Centre in 2008?
Answer: Although our Centre was established
by Azerbaijani President's decree dated Nov.12, 2007, it started its activities
in February 2008 as soon as head of the office was appointed. During this
period we have held four major international, scientific and analytical conferences
(notably in Moscow, Baku, London, Berlin) and seven international round tables
(in Moscow, London, Washington, Almaty, Berlin) jointly with foreign think
tanks. The head of the Centre also participated in four international forums
organized by the European analytical communities. As a result, we have very
good contacts and partnerships with many prestigious think tanks in Europe and
the United States, with which we intend to continue scientific and analytical
cooperation in the coming year.
In addition, I will note that at the very beginning of its activities the Centre
held two private round tables on current strategic issues. Furthermore, the Centre
prepared for the press a scientific and analytical journal of international
relations and foreign policy Azerbaijan Focus in English and Azerbaijani
languages, which published articles by renowned experts from the U.S., Europe and the CIS countries, including Russia. The first special issue of the magazine in two
languages will be published in January 2009. Moreover, in cooperation with
foreign think tanks we published articles by the head of the Centre in various
international scientific and analytical journals, which covered Azerbaijan's geostrategic role in European energy security and the foreign policy
priorities of the country's leadership. Also, we have been able to send a
research staff of our Centre for internships abroad. One employee took a
short-term training in Germany, and another one was sent this year to the United States to study post-graduate course at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California.
It that a lot or not? Judge for yourself, given the fact that during that
period the Centre operated in line with building its personnel.
Question: To what extend were the Centre's activities successful in the outgoing year in terms of Azerbaijan's positioning and informing the international community of the truth about Azerbaijan?
Answer: Without overly modesty, I want to mention that we could achieve change of opinion in the European expert circles concerning essential interests of our country thanks to participation in different international forums and relations, which we established with representatives of the western analytic society. I will cite only one example. Participants of the round table, which were organized at the Konrad Adenauer Fund in Berlin on Dec. 9 in 2008, on settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict condemned unconstructive position of Armenia and stressed that the problem can be solved only on the base of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the German Institute on International Policy and Security organized the next round table in Berlin on Dec. 10 on the topic of Strategic choice of Azerbaijan - policy on modernization and priorities of foreign policy. The German expert-political scientists attending this round table said that Europe should take account of political interests of Azerbaijan, regarding economic strengthening and strategic important role of the country in the field of energy security.
Therefore, it is necessary for us to strengthen work to publicize Azerbaijan's position to politicians and political society of Europe through holding different international scientific and analytic measures both in our country and abroad.
Question: As to you, which targets and tasks will be priority for the Centre in near future?
Answer:As you know, establishment of the Centre targeted to hold strategic investigation of the governmental importance under conditions of dynamic development and successful integration into the world economy, to develop forecasts on improvement of the governmental administration, to coordinate strategic investigations held by relevant state bodies of the country, as well as to publicize position of the Azerbaijani leadership on settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to the world community and to realize large-scale programs on the base of thoroughly developed scientific and analytic conception with this purpose. Therein, our Centre is conducting and in future will conduct active work in this direction. A priority direction of our activity will be an offensive position in information war with Armenia in the near future and to inform the world community about truth on successes in establishment of democratic and economic developed state.
I want to emphasize that a role and place of the Strategic Investigation Centre in the system of formation of a new political space is determined with necessity of complex expert analysis of priority problems of foreign political, economic and other kind of security of Azerbaijan in the near future, as well as bringing results of investigation to high-quality and professional recommendation level. One of the key tasks of our Centre is to contribute our mite to strengthening of intellectual basis of our nation which will form further strategy of Azerbaijan's competitiveness in a global setting.
Question: What strategic targets can Azerbaijan have in cooperation with West?
Answer: Admittedly, recently Azerbaijan joined EU Eastern Partnership Program which aims at facilitating integration of the South Caucasus countries, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova to the Euro-Atlantic structures. As to strategic targets of our country in cooperation with West, I think, it can include active participation in ensuring energy security and peacekeeping and anti-terror operations of NATO through dynamic economic and evolutionary development and gradual integration to the Euro-Atlantic structures. However, good neighbourly relations with Russia and Iran should be maintained and strengthened. Precisely neighbourly relations between states are a basis for comprehensive, balanced and pragmatic policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev.
Question: The
resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has been accelerated recently.
Does the resolution of the conflict soon seem realistic?
Answer: It is known that the August events in Georgia made the West to get more involved in the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Europe understood that non-resolution of conflicts directly influence on security of entire world community. Unstable situation in the South Caucasus especially harms West's energy interests. That is why the European Union accelerated adoption of Eastern Partnership Program through realization of which it hopes to get more actively involved in the resolution of the Karabakh problem. Russia, because of well-known reasons, seeks to seize the initiative in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict so that fortify its positions in the South Caucasus. It can be proven by adoption of Moscow Declaration. On its part, Turkey also attempts to play an active role in processes ongoing on its borders. Turkey's initiative to adopt platform security and cooperation in the Caucasus and seeking common ground with Armenia is attributable to this fact. However, Armenian leadership's non-constructive position nullifies all efforts of world community to solve Karabakh problem. I am sure that the conflict will be solved in fair way in line with international law soon thanks to efforts of the country's leadership and President Ilham Aliyev.
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