The National Interest: Azerbaijan remains important partner for US
By Trend
Azerbaijan, a small but important country located in the South
Caucasus on the Caspian Sea, remains an important partner for the
United States and deserves more attention from U.S. policymakers,
says Luke Coffey, the director of The Heritage Foundation’s Allison
Center for Foreign Policy Studies.
In his article published in The National Interest, Coffey reminds
that U.S.-Azerbaijani relations date back to the Paris Peace
Conference after World War I, during the early and short-lived days
of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
"A few years after meeting with the Azerbaijani delegation at the
peace conference, President Woodrow Wilson recounted the event
during a speech delivered in San Francisco: Well, one day there
came in a very dignified and interesting group of gentlemen who
were from Azerbaijan . . . I was talking to men who talked the same
language that I did in respect of ideas, in respect of conceptions
of liberty, in respect of conceptions of right and justice," writes
the author.
Coffey emphasizes that much has changed in the world since then,
but Azerbaijan remains an important partner for the United States
for a number of reasons.
"On the security front, Azerbaijan is making a meaningful
contribution to the war on terrorism. It recently increased its
troop presence in Afghanistan to 120 soldiers. While this might not
sound like much, it exceeds the troop contributions of twenty-six
other countries including NATO members like Spain, the Netherlands
and Norway," reminds the author.
"Azerbaijan is helpful on the diplomatic front, too. It will soon
host the third high-level meeting between U.S. and Russian military
leaders. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the supreme allied commander of
NATO, who also serves as the top U.S. military commander for
Europe, will meet in Baku with Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of
staff of the Russian Armed Forces."
America, too, has strong economic and energy ties to Azerbaijan,
according to the author.
"The largest port on the Caspian Sea, Baku is the transportation
hub for goods shipped between Europe and Central Asia. And since
the first oil well was drilled just outside Baku in 1846, the city
has been vital to the region’s oil and gas industry. American
energy companies have been involved with oil and gas exploration
and extraction in Azerbaijan since the 1990s. For Europe,
Azerbaijan serves as a significant alternative to Russia for oil
and gas supplies," he writes, adding that this improves Europe’s
security and, by association, the security of the United
States.
Coffey emphasizes that though more can be done, Azerbaijan has made
meaningful progress in liberalizing its economy over the past two
decades, even with the significant drop oil prices. In 1996, the
first year that The Heritage Foundation included the country in its
Index of Economic Freedom, Azerbaijan ranked 134th in the world in
terms of economic freedom. Last year, the Index ranked Azerbaijan
68th, placing it ahead of Spain, Italy and France.
He further adds that Azerbaijan is the only country in the world
that borders both Russia and Iran.
"Globally, Azerbaijan is trying to keep a balance between its
relations with the West and Russia. Regionally, Azerbaijan has
sought to keep a balance between Russia and Iran while striving to
preserve its autonomy or independence as much as possible," he
says.
The author is sure that economically—and in the energy sector
especially—Azerbaijan will continue to be an important regional
player. "As seen with the recent U.S.-Russian military meetings, it
also plays an important role as an honest broker between West and
East. America needs partners like Azerbaijan. If correct policies
are pursued, U.S.- Azerbaijan relations can serve both countries
equally and for the better," he concludes.
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