BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Azerbaijan has further strengthened its position as a middle power thanks to its political, military, and economic successes in recent years, the Chairman of the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center), Farid Shafiyev, said at the conference under the theme "Azerbaijan as a middle power: foreign policy, regional influence and global participation", Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
According to him, this status indicates that the country's influence is growing not only in the region, but also in a wider geography.
"We can say with complete confidence that Azerbaijan is implementing not only domestic projects, but also various projects in the region, Eastern and Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. In other words, Azerbaijan's potential manifests itself beyond the South Caucasus.
The concept of a middle power combines military power, economic capabilities, diplomatic influence, soft power, and other factors. The full restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity in 2020 and 2023 has created conditions for a clearer confirmation of this status. Today, Azerbaijan is implementing various initiatives and projects not only within the country, but also outside the region. This shows that the country's potential goes beyond the borders of the South Caucasus," he noted.
The AIR Center's chairman added that the main purpose of the conference is to discuss the growing role of Azerbaijan in the international system, present the results of research conducted in this direction, and exchange views on new proposals.
The event has brought together representatives of government agencies, think tanks, higher education institutions, and other academic institutions, parliamentarians, experts, young researchers, and media representatives.
