POLITICS
Deputy Director of Azerbaijan`s Center for Strategic Studies gives interview to Turkish Today`s Zaman newspaper
Baku, July 6 (AZERTAC). “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,” deputy director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Gulshan Pashayvea told in her interview to Turkey-based Today`s Zaman. Pashayeva noted 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. 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.”
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.
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.
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.