BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. The visit of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Washington, which took place at the invitation of US President Donald Trump, represents a historic significance not only for Azerbaijan, but also for the entire region, Azerbaijani MP Vugar Bayramov told Trend.
He said that during the visit, along with the discussion of the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia, special attention was paid to strengthening the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the US.
"Along with political and strategic cooperation, Azerbaijani-US relations will also develop in the direction of regional ties, including energy, trade, and transit, as well as in the area covering artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure. The Strategic Working Group created following the visit of President Ilham Aliyev will deal with important issues such as expanding the infrastructure of regional ties and investments in the energy sector, promoting regional trade and economic cooperation, as well as developing artificial intelligence," he noted.
According to the MP, cooperation in the energy sector will allow US allies to further strengthen their energy security through Azerbaijani gas.
"Azerbaijan, which supplies gas to 14 countries, makes a special contribution to strengthening the energy security of the US's European partners. Strategic cooperation with the US will create conditions for attracting more technologies and innovations to the non-oil sector. This will contribute to the implementation of Azerbaijan's goals for economic diversification. Strategic partnership between the US and Azerbaijan means the introduction of American technologies and investments in our country, as well as the growth of US economic activity," he pointed out.
Bayramov recalled that President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly stated the inevitability of the implementation of the Zangezur Corridor, emphasizing that it's only a matter of time.
"Thanks to the far-sighted policy of President Ilham Aliyev, the signed Joint Declaration provides for unimpeded communication between the main part of our country and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. This means the implementation of the Zangezur Corridor. An agreement was also signed in Washington between the US and Armenia regarding the launch of the Zangezur Corridor. This means that Trump will act as a guarantor of this project," he concluded.
In turn, MP Sahib Aliyev told Trend that the Joint Declaration signed by President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the presence of the US President reflects all of Azerbaijan's conditions.
He noted that a major, decisive step was taken towards peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"The document states everything - a joint appeal to dissolve the Minsk Group, unimpeded communication with Nakhchivan, and the inadmissibility of revanchist attempts," the MP said.
According to him, the first article of the Joint Declaration notes the legitimacy of Azerbaijan's demand to amend the Constitution of Armenia, as well as the fact that without this, neither the signing nor the ratification of a comprehensive peace treaty is possible. Thus, this declaration effectively transfers the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, into a bilateral format with the support of the US, and this transformation fully takes into account the new reality created by Azerbaijan after 2020.
"This reflects the beginning of a new era not only for our region - this is the first step towards the formation of a new world order," he added.