Interview with Musa Gasimli, Milli Majlis deputy, professor.
Q: What positive and negative moments does Azerbaijan expect during occupation of the post of nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council in two years?
A: Azerbaijan’s election as nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council is undoubtedly a great success of Azerbaijani diplomacy. This fact proves the perfectness of foreign policy of Azerbaijan held by President Ilham Aliyev. All the same, election as non permanent member of the UN Security Council proves the growing influence of Azerbaijan on the international arena.
All the same, I have to note that Azerbaijan’s recent participation in the Non-Aligned Movement played a weighty role in election as nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council.
Thus, on the one hand Azerbaijan gains the right to vote in the UN Security Council will chair its sessions and on the other hand, it will gain responsibility which makes it necessary to take balanced and thorough decisions.
Q: Is Azerbaijan laid additional responsibility with respect to its election as nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council from Eastern Europe?
A: Though Azerbaijan gained its state independence just 20 years ago, the country will represent the entire Eastern Europe in the UN Security Council. No doubt that Azerbaijan’s representation of the countries with centuries-old history in the UN Security Council will further strengthen positions of official Baku in the international arena. This status opens new opportunities to Azerbaijan and raises its responsibility. Meanwhile, in case of responsible approach to its new status, Azerbaijan can take serious steps to address problems facing the Eastern European countries.
Q: How can Azerbaijan act when the UN Security Council will adopt decisions and sanctions on Iran?
A: The issue related to Iranian problems may become one of the most sensitive issues for Azerbaijan that may emerge during its nonpermanent membership in the UN Security Council. In this case, Azerbaijan may face the dilemma when the western countries will put any anti-Iranian document for discussion in the UN Security Council. As is known, Iran is Azerbaijan’s neighbor while despite being strategic partner, the United States is geographically far from this region. I think Azerbaijan must take account of its own interests while putting this issue for discussion in the UN Security Council, since the anti-Iranian blow can cause hard implications for Azerbaijan, particularly, Azerbaijan may face a flow of refugees from Iran. Literally, the fire in neighbor countries cannot be of use to Azerbaijan. All the same, there may appear the need for Azerbaijan to demonstrate its clear positions when the UN Security Council will take sanctions against Iran. I believe that Azerbaijani diplomacy should be especially attentive. In this case Azerbaijan must rely on its national interests and then this position will be perceived with understanding.
I think Azerbaijan must take into account the threat to its security by Iran. Western countries must understand that Iran is Azerbaijan’s neighbor. They must also take into account the fact that some Iranian forces are uninterested in the presence of strong and independent Azerbaijan.
Q: Several observers evaluated Russian support to election of Azerbaijan as nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council as an attempt to gain Baku’s further vote in adopting resolutions in Syria and other problems where Russian and US interests intertwine. How can Azerbaijan act in such cases?
A: I think that in the two years of membership in the UN Security Council Azerbaijan will need to study the position of every side on every discussed issue. Otherwise, the vote of Azerbaijan in decision-making may damage the interests of the country in the end.
If Russia and West believe that Azerbaijan will support their position in making decisions in the UN Security Council, they are mistaken. Azerbaijan has become the nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council to protect its interests. All the same, since Azerbaijan was elected the nonpermanent member from the Eastern European region, it will also protect their interests.
I believe that in the Syrian issue Azerbaijan’s position must comply with the positions of progressive countries. Events in Syria may have a serious impact on the entire Middle Eastern region. Therefore, Azerbaijan must also be attentive in this issue.
If the United States and Russia wish to gain fair position in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and must demand from Armenia to return the occupied lands of Azerbaijan.
Q: Azerbaijan has already stated that during the country’s membership in the UN Security Council, it will raise the problem of Karabakh settlement in this organization. Is it possible that the Security Council will take any decisions on this conflict?
A: Naturally, during its membership in the UN Security Council, Azerbaijan will be interested in raising issues of country’s problems in this organization. I think that Azerbaijani diplomacy which has got additional opportunities, will manage to gain the fifth resolution in the UN Security Council related to the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. This resolution may reflect the facts of continuation of occupation, aggressive actions of Armenia, problem of return of displaced persons to their homes, as well as the situation in the occupied lands, particularly, arson, forced settlement, changing names of historical places, towns and villages and plundering natural resources.
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