The situation between Azerbaijan and Armenia could be resolved if all of the parties involved realized the fact that the paradigm of the 21st century promotes multi-ethnicity and unity in diversity, a senior Azerbaijani strategist has told Today's Zaman.
The region, and the issues surrounding especially the South Caucasus, is not an easy one to manage, says Dr. Gulshan Pashayeva, deputy director of the Center for Strategic Studies in an exclusive interview. Pashayeva indicates that Turkey and Azerbaijan are cooperating on a variety of issues pertaining to the South Caucasus region and adds that currently more should be done in order to solve the knotty issue that exists between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
However she adds that Azerbaijan already very much appreciates Turkey's efforts in pressuring Armenia to find a reasonable solution that would satisfy all parties. Pashayeva says that Armenia should realize that today's realities are much different from those of 1994.
“Azerbaijan has greatly developed politically, economically and militarily since then. Balance of power between Azerbaijan and Armenia has dramatically changed.
“At the same time it is good to hear the voices of the people like Levon Ter-Petrossian, giving interviews to the Western media where at least we can hear Armenians who provide more rational assessments about current situation in Armenia,” she reiterates.
According to Pashayeva, should there be any kind of progress on Armenian Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh then it will be possible to open the borders to Armenia from both sides, the Turkish and Azerbaijani sides, which in turn will benefit all parties in helping them further prosper.
“All parties including mediators should understand that there is a damaging stalemate at the moment. That is why everybody, including Russia, is doing their best in order to bring the conflicting sides together.”
“And while doing that, Azerbaijan is not trying to put Armenia into the hard position; our approach is to move step-by-step. Let us start with small steps and define interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees for security and self-governance of this region,” Pashayeva suggests.
Regarding the Turkey-Azerbaijan relationship Pashayeva agrees that there is room for further cooperation in all levels. For example she mentioned that two Centers for Strategic Studies (SAM) from Azerbaijan and Turkey signed Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in March 2011 in Baku and it provides an excellent opportunity for further fruitful cooperation.
According to Pashayeva, one of the main gaps that exist between Azerbaijan and Turkey is the assumption that the two sides know each other thoroughly. “It seems we are very similar to each other and know each other very well, perhaps because of existence of ethnic, linguistic and cultural ties. However, there are some differences as well which can create misunderstandings at times,” she explains.
In order to address these differences, the interaction at all levels in Turkey and Azerbaijan should gain momentum, she says, adding: “For example, more visits should be conducted at the governmental and civil society levels and furthermore, the representatives of NGOs and the mass media should come to each other's countries. This will open the door for people on both sides to have access firsthand information about, for instance, the occupied territories and their histories, cultures and stories.”
“The two countries have diasporas and by extending their cooperation, they could have a strong influence on American policies just like the other lobbies, for instance. At the same time if we are one nation and two states, perhaps we need one diaspora,” Pashayeva suggests.
The strategic cooperation in the energy field is another important one for both Azerbaijan and Turkey, according to Pashayeva, and the relationship in this field is also developing. She mentions the pipelines of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum where Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia are in full cooperation in the energy field.
In concluding Pashayeva notes that such partnership between the three countries created a very good base for further cooperation in the energy area.
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