The meeting between Azerbaijan and Armenia held in Abu Dhabi remains in memory as a significant historical event. One of the important and memorable aspects of this meeting is that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, was awarded the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.The establishment of this award is linked to a historical event: on February 4, 2019, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, signed the "Document on Human Fraternity" in the name of peace and coexistence of people. The award is presented to individuals and organisations that contribute to the promotion of the values, tolerance and mutual respect. President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly emphasized, both nationally and internationally, that supreme values such as peace, tolerance, and respect for the rights of nations are vital principles of modern politics.
The awarding of this prize to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minuster of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, for their efforts aimed as establishing peace in the region can be seen as a symbol of a new stage in the peace process in the South Caucasus. An analysis of the ongoing processes shows that the award was given to political figures who played a significant role in advancing the idea of peace.
During the 44-day Patriotic War, Azerbaijan not only restored its territorial integrity but also put forward a concept of sustainable peace in the region based on solid political and diplomatic principles. The main provisions of this concept can be outlined as follows:
1. The consistent process of successful diplomatic negotiations conducted by Azerbaijan led to the recognition by Armenia’s political elite of the fact that Azerbaijani territories were held under occupation until 2020.
2. The Prime Minister of Armenia has recognised the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its current borders.
3. For nearly 30 years, Azerbaijan, striving to liberate its territories from occupation, demonstrated an example of political tolerance to the international community, seeking a peaceful resolution to the problem.
4. During his years in power, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, has sought to implement important international paradigms of friendship and brotherhood such as the dialogue of civilizations, a culture of dialogue, achieving consensus, and preventing discrimination.
5. The fact that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan has based his policy on a paradigm of not only bilateral but also multi-vector peace has brought the South Caucasus closer to being a space of peace for the US and other states.
6. The consistent activities of the President of Azerbaijan in promoting peace, as well as the demands to amend to the provision in Armenia’s current constitution that incite war, are accelerating the development of policies by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to neutralize chauvinistic forces in both religious and political spheres. Toward
It is precisely the concept of achieving sustainable and long-term peace, promoted by Azerbaijan, Armenia and the United States. The documents signed in the United States are having an increasingly noticeable positive impact on regional processes. In this context, the TRIPP corridor (Trump Route for Interantional Peace and Prosperity) is viewed as a promising direction for economic interaction and regional development.
The high political culture of the Azerbaijani leader and his consistent calls for peace can play a significant role in settling the tensions that resist in the Middle East. Modern global processes are increasingly associated with the search for a new model of world order, and in these conditions, the importance of states capable of proposing sustainable peace initiatives is growing. In this context? Azerbaijan, Turkey and the United States play an important role.
At a time when individual mistakes by world leaders lead to increased instability, the need for a sustainable and multifaceted peace becomes particularly obvious. The President of Azerbaijan consistently emphasizes the relevance of precisely such a model of peaceful coexistence in both local and regional politics. The awarding of this prize once again confirms the importance of leaders’ personal qualities in ensuring stability and preserving peace. These qualities are manifested in the following ways:
1. Demonstrating high political culture at a moment when the whole world is shaken already represents the peak of diplomacy.
2. In the context of increasing complexity in global politics, only those who have proven in practice the possiility of achieveing peace are capable of effectively overcoming emerging difficulties.
3. Making peace a priority of the state and the work of all societal institutions allows it to become the basis of political strategy.
The practice of peacefully resolving the issue of Azerbaijani territories, which were under occupation for nearly 30 years, also serves as an example for the international community. However, during this time, none of the four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council were implemented. The weaknesses of international law created profound pain not only for politicians but for every Azerbaijani citizen who suffered from the occupation.
The Azerbaijani state, combining diplomatic efforts and military power, achieved Victory in 44 days, forcing the occupying side to capitulate. Members of the military junta formed in the Karabakh territory were arrested, and fair sentences were passed against them. All this, along with the punishment of the guilty, also meant the defeat of the many forces that, for nearly 30 years, had hindered peace by supporting the war. It is obvious that the continued existence of Section 907 is still needed by political forces that are preparing to hinder the development of the South Caucasus, as well as the realization of the TRIPP corridor.
The institutionalization of dialogue between the United States, Azerbaijan, and Turkey brings the issue of the complete repeal of Section 907 to the international agenda. Furthermore, currently, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, is a leader striving to introduce a new paradigm of peace into the preamble of interstate political culture. The multi-level peace policy is contributing to the economic rise of official Armenia. The preservation of Section 907 by certain political circles in the United States since 1992 under the influence of the "Cold War" no longer appears just or peace-loving.
Huseyn Ibrahimov
Associate Professor at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Doctor of Philosophy, Political Scientist.
