Baku, April 29, AZERTAC

An article by Azerbaijan`s Ambassador to the US Elin Suleymanov has been published by the Washington Times.

In the article, the Ambassador says: “This week the Johns Hopkins University in Washington is hosting a major regional conference on the historic Silk Road. For American companies, the opportunities abound in a wide range of areas from logistics to construction to manufacturing to communications and services. Importantly, this transit corridor is about public-private partnerships, where businesses, along with the region’s governments, play a vital part in its formation.” “It is also about regional integration with the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey working together to synchronize efforts and make the transit as smooth and efficient as possible for its users. While the Silk Road is not about energy, it is reinforced by the development of Europe’s Southern Gas Corridor, one of the world’s most ambitious infrastructure projects directly linking Azerbaijan’s natural gas fields to European consumers,” he says.

“At the time of deepening divides and rising extremism, a major international event in Baku, a key juncture along the Silk Road, called for tolerance and building inclusive societies. This underscored the wider significance of the nations of our region and global partners working together in establishing a cooperative environment for integration.”

The Ambassador says: “Recently, we have seen an unfortunate escalation of violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan with lives lost on both sides. This was a violent reminder that there are starkly different visions for our region’s future. One of promoting regional cooperation, strengthening sovereignty and independence of partner states, inclusive societies and prosperous development, and the other of ethnicity-driven politics, continuous conflict, displacement and handicapped sovereignty.”

“Cooperation and integration, best illustrated by the modern Silk Road, represent a historic opportunity to shape a new geography and build a new future for our region. Perhaps, it is time to learn from history instead of just referring to different historic narratives. And, if there is anything to learn, it is that the ancient Silk Road helped to unlock human potential and stimulate progress beyond anyone’s imagination at the time. Today, the modern Silk Road can take us beyond our imagination once again,” he adds.