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By Trend

Thanks to President Ilham Aliyev's leadership, Azerbaijan has achieved a growing prominence on the international stage, national security analyst and expert from the US Irina Tsukerman told Trend.

She noted that President Biden has written two direct letters earlier this year to congratulate Baku on the Republic Day and to mark the Energy week, but has also expressed interest in the integration of the South Caucasus and the sthe finalizing of the peace process with Armenia.

"This indicates Azerbaijan's growing importance as an energy producer but also a potential peace interlocutor on various regional issues. Similarly, Azerbaijan has strengthend ints relations with EU, and is being seen as an increasingly active and important country in light of the current European national sovereignty concerns, the food shortage crisis, and the energy crisis," she said.

In her words, there is also a strong coordination with Israel on defense and other issues, and growing relations with some of the reform-minded countries in the Arab world, both on economic and political issues.

"In light of these developments, Baku's positive role in pushing for a peaceful transition to regional integration after its victory in the Second Karabakh War, and its continuous willingness to extend efforts at friendship will be particularly appreciated. Another conflict right now is the last thing anyone needs or wants to see, and so the fact that even despite the 30 years of devastating occupation and illegal activities by Armenians, Azerbaijan is still going out of its way diplomatically to overcome tensions will play an important role in bringing it even close to other countries - but will also benefit it in terms of the ability to attract investors, support for various economic, green energy, hi tech, and educational projects, and will be taken into account even in courts over the deliberation of the handling of the occupation issue and Azerbaijan's legal claims of war crimes by Yerevan before an during the war," she said.

Tsukerman emphasized that Armenia would be wise to take Azerbaijan's positioning as an example and similarly focus on positive development of relations with its neighbors and others, instead of looking towards the past.

In turn, Peter Tase, US expert, and strategic adviser on international affairs and public diplomacy to governments, universities, and corporations in Europe and the Americas told Trend that Azerbaijan has pursued an admirable real politics that has delivered impressive results in the national economy, foreign affairs’ operations, bilateral diplomacy and provided an outstanding performance in agroindustrial sector.

"The relations of Azerbaijan with neighboring countries have improved, Georgia has been an important economic partner, Kazakhstan has increased its political, commercial and economic cooperation with Azerbaijan. The brotherly relations with the Republic of Türkiye have enabled Azerbaijan to be at the forefront of global geopolitics and bolstered its role in Eurasia. Azerbaijan has been a staunch ally of the European Union and expanded its cooperation with Italy, Germany and Austria, among other countries that are part of the EU. With Washington, Azerbaijan strengthened its alliance and political dialogue as well as economic ties are greater now than December last year. Washington in Azerbaijan sees a prominent ally and a geopolitical actor of huge proportions in Europe and beyond. Azerbaijan has employed every tool to increase dialogue and close cooperation with the US Department of State," he said.

He also added that Armenia continues to be a belligerent actor in Europe and EU, other diplomatic actors in the region must convince Armenia to become a better neighbor and ensure more transparency in bilateral dialogues engaging Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Georgia and other European countries.

He emphasized that Europe and United States do not realize how important Zangazur corridor is for the economies of Caucasus and will immediately improve the peaceful coexistence among neighbors and nations in this region of Europe.

"Opening of Zangazur corridor will help Significantly the Western European economies in these difficult geopolitical and economic times. President Ilham Aliyev has been a true visionary statesman and always taken diplomatic actions that benefit, human rights, economic prosperity and defense cooperation with European nations, Türkiye, and other key global partners," he said.

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