The relations established 31 years ago have stood the test of time and are rooted in reality
The contours of Azerbaijan-US relations, which have cooled somewhat due to known reasons, are already warming up. Of course, this is a good thing. After all, diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in February 1992, shortly after Azerbaijan regained its state independence at the end of the 20th century, and cover many important areas.
Although there were occasional misunderstandings in relations based on reliable cooperation, which brought only political and economic dividends to both sides, the problem was resolved by Azerbaijan's fair position and the conclusion that the United States could not pursue its interests in the South Caucasus without Baku. The same thing is happening this time. Apparently, the political will and determination of the Azerbaijani leadership overturned all the plans of the pro-Armenian congressmen. The bitter experience of the last month has shown that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will have to correct the political mistakes that will cause the White House to face a face.
Apology accepted
James O'Brien, the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, who made a "fiery" speech against Azerbaijan in the US Congress last month, was eagerly awaited with what package of proposals he would come to Azerbaijan and what he would say here. In his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, J. O'Brien seemed to be renouncing what he had said three weeks ago, in a role different from what he said in the Congress. Some experts consider this as a gesture of apology from the White House official to Baku. After all, his speech in the Congress on November 15 hit the security interests of the superpower more than Azerbaijan, including efforts to increase its influence in the South Caucasus. In his meeting with Ilham Aliyev, Mr. O'Brien, who studied diplomacy in Baku, clearly felt his desire to "compensate" for the damage he caused to bilateral relations. His writing on the "X" account that he had a constructive conversation with President Ilham Aliyev to discuss the future of US-Azerbaijani relations can be taken as a confession. In his message, he also emphasized that the establishment of stable and dignified peace in the South Caucasus will open historical opportunities. J. O'Brien also noted that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is looking forward to receiving the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington soon for peace talks.
Thus, the issues discussed in the meetings of White House "envoy on special tasks" James O'Brien with President Ilham Aliyev and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov in Baku give full reason to say that the misunderstanding caused by the fault of the former in US-Azerbaijan relations has been resolved, and bilateral contacts have returned to normal. Regarding the well-known anti-Azerbaijani discussions organized by pro-Armenian "sems" in the Congress, official Baku revealed its principled position and brought to the attention of the Washington establishment the impossibility of continuing relations with our country in this manner. But it is clear that the degree to which official Baku will accept O'Brien's apology from the White House will depend on the specific steps Washington will take next.
The US can contribute to peace in the region
Yes, Washington needs Baku to achieve its goals in the region. That is why now the United States is in the interest of spoiling relations with Azerbaijan for the sake of the corporate interests of the Armenian lobby, not confrontation, but reconciliation as an equal partner. Naturally, Baku takes advantage of this advantage at the diplomatic level. In conclusion, it is also clear that recently the struggle for where and how to open communications has been more actively transformed in the South Caucasus. This means that in the near future, the region may face the danger of becoming a conflict field of great powers.
"Taking into account the new realities, Washington can contribute to the process of normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan." President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev brought these words to the attention of James O'Brien, assistant to the US Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs. Indeed, the chances of achieving peace in the conditions of the new reality created by Azerbaijan's restoration of its sovereignty have increased. The US is already accepting this reality. We can say that the White House, realizing that it is impossible to move forward in the Caucasus without Azerbaijan, has decided to move bilateral relations forward.
Political scientist Rasim Musabeyov, a deputy of the Milli Majlis, who made a statement to our newspaper on the subject, believes that Washington has in a certain sense succeeded in eliminating the tension in US-Azerbaijani relations: "Threats and ill-considered statements made against Baku in the Congress are, of course, against the national interests of the United States. was causing harm. Assessing the situation correctly, Washington is trying to regulate relations in a healthy and realistic direction. It is difficult to say how sustainable this will be. In any case, it is felt that O'Brien's anti-Azerbaijani-spirited speech in the Congress and irresponsible statements addressed to us were more intended for the domestic audience. In other words, those who lobby Armenians are allegedly demonstrating that they are "burning their souls" with this. But the reality in the middle pushes the USA to maintain and develop relations with Azerbaijan. Because all the national interests of the White House in the South Caucasus are not related to Armenia, but to Azerbaijan. In this case, if bilateral relations deteriorate, not only Azerbaijan loses. The biggest loser at the moment is the US itself. I think that from now on both Washington and Baku will try to neutralize the consequences of known events and minimize the damage."
In the current situation, Washington will have the chance to strengthen its position in the region by taking into account the new realities and contributing to the positive conclusion of the Yerevan-Baku peace dialogue. For this, Washington should stop talking about Karabakh, over which Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty, and put an end to this issue.
If Yerevan evaluates its chances correctly...
Touching on the role of the United States in bringing Azerbaijan's energy resources to the world markets, J. O'Brien emphasized that the United States supports the development of the Trans-Caspian transport corridor concept, the continuation of discussions on the opening of communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan. What he said, in fact, is the plan to replace the Middle Corridor project of the United States from China to Europe with the Trans-Caspian route from Central Asia to Europe, as well as to ensure the participation of Armenia in this process, provided that communication is opened taking into account Yerevan's wishes. Apparently, the US State Department official came to Baku with a specific proposal. In this regard, the President of Azerbaijan presented Baku's approach in the meeting with O'Brien. Our head of state said that Azerbaijan is open to discussing transnational projects with the White House, including new opportunities for cooperation on the Middle Corridor. That is, Azerbaijan does not say no to the plans of the United States in these directions. However, at this time, whoever comes forward and puts forward more useful proposals for Baku, will prefer to work with him.
Yerevan may get a chance to join regional projects if it fulfills its obligations related to the peace agreement and the Zangezur corridor.
The head of the "Atlas" Research Center, political commentator Elkhan Sahinoglu said that after the well-known speech of the American diplomat against Azerbaijan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhum Bayramov refused to meet with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington, and the official Baku sidelined the mediation of the White House between Azerbaijan and Armenia: "South Caucasus The blow to the cooperation with the leading state of Azerbaijan was against the security interests of the United States. As expected, at the meeting between James O'Brien and Ilham Aliyev in Baku, the positive aspects of relations were highlighted. First, Ilham Aliyev emphasized that there is a rich history of relations between Azerbaijan and the United States, that during the years of independence, relations were established in various fields, and successful cooperation was carried out, especially in the field of energy. Secondly, Ilham Aliyev said that after the full restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty, historical opportunities for the establishment of peace have arisen, and the United States can contribute to this process, taking into account the new realities. The White House official confirmed the words of Ilham Aliyev.
O'Brien said that America supports the peace agenda in the region, the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the negotiations on a peace agreement, and pointed out that the United States is ready to continue the negotiations in Washington. He also emphasized that the US supports the development of the concept of the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, as well as the continuation of discussions on the opening of communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The political scientist then noted that all this is little. Washington should show the importance it attaches to Azerbaijan in the concrete steps it will take: "If O'Brien and other officials of the White House do not speak against Azerbaijan from now on, official Baku will take a positive approach to Washington's mediation, and only in this case the meetings in the US capital can resume."
One of the important conditions for the continuation of bilateral relations on a positive course is the resumption of visits by Azerbaijani officials to the United States. With this, US-Azerbaijani relations return to their previous constructive level.
But will the official Washington give a political assessment or comment on the provocative speeches and statements of some members of the foreign relations committee of the US House of Representatives? Logically, the Biden Administration should carefully investigate this fact. Because no one can guarantee that the aggressive and harmful campaign against Azerbaijan by the rich and influential Armenian diaspora in the United States and those lobbying for the election will stop. In particular, it is obvious that those who lobbied for Armenians in the last three years have become a source of potential threat to the state policy and national interests of the United States. Recent events have shown that this harmful trend is primarily damaging the relations between the United States and Azerbaijan. By accepting the sincere confession, Baku took its goodwill step towards Washington. Now it's the White House's turn.
Imran Badirkhanli
XQ
