Azernews.Az

Elnur Enveroglu

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An article titled “A New Geopolitical Actor”, published in one of Colombia’s oldest and most prominent newspapers, El Espectador, highlights Azerbaijan’s emergence as an important geopolitical actor amid the complex and dynamic processes shaping today’s global political environment.

The article offers a brief historical overview of the country, noting that in the mid-19th century its capital, Baku, became the centre of the global oil industry. It further emphasises that in 2023 Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity, bringing a decades-long conflict to an end and, as a result, further strengthening its geopolitical standing.

The piece underscores how Azerbaijan has effectively leveraged its geographical advantages and abundant natural resources in the geopolitical, logistics and energy spheres, consolidating its role as a crucial transit country between Central Asia and Europe.

It also touches upon the successful outcomes of President Ilham Aliyev’s balanced foreign policy course, noting that Azerbaijan has further reinforced its position as a reliable bridge between various regions and states.

The author of the article, Marcos Peckel, addresses several significant and nuanced political points. Presenting Azerbaijan as a “new geopolitical actor”, he offers compelling observations, stating at the outset that a country does not need to be a great power, or even a middle power, in order to become a geopolitical player.

The journalist’s analysis and comparisons suggest that it is not pathos or grandstanding, but genuine intent and constructive engagement that ultimately lead to success.

As the article demonstrates, El Espectador has closely examined Azerbaijan and its geographical positioning. A country that, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, had once been relegated to the periphery and subjected to pressure from larger powers has, after three decades of struggle, emerged as a state that now acts as a mediator and leading player in both peace-building and economic and political platforms across the region. This transformation has not gone unnoticed, not only by neighbouring states, but even by countries located across the ocean.

In the journalist’s words, “In today’s rapidly changing world, this small country of 10 million people is becoming a significant player in regional geopolitics and beyond” convey deep meaning and clearly, this is no coincidence. Nor is it the result of benevolence in a world where international law is often disregarded. Rather, it concerns a country named Azerbaijan that restored international law where it had been ignored and reasserted its sovereign rights within the framework of that law.