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President Ilham Aliyev has ruled out a replay of the Egypt developments in Azerbaijan, pointing to political stability, rampant economic growth and the protection of freedoms in the country.

"If anyone wants to see Egypt-like developments here, I can assure you that, regardless of your wishes, you will not see that," President Aliyev told an annual security conference in Munich last Friday. He was replying to a question from a participant of the event who compared the situation in Azerbaijan with that in Egypt and other so-called Arab Spring countries.

"I would like to bring to your attention several figures which you are not aware of," Aliyev continued. "During the eight years of my presidency, Azerbaijan’s gross domestic product has increased three-fold – by 300 percent. The poverty level has dropped to 7.6 percent from 50 percent. Inflation is 5.4 percent. Over 1 million jobs have been opened in the past eight years. Our foreign debt makes up 6 percent of the GDP. Economic diversification is stable."

The president said further that the political situation in Azerbaijan is stable. The country has a multi-party system, and over 10 political parties are represented in parliament.

Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijani citizens enjoy all freedoms.

"We have a free press. We have freedom of speech and religion. Finally, we have a free Internet. I would like to point out that, by far, not all countries in our region have a free Internet. In Azerbaijan, the number of Internet users exceeds 50 percent of the country’s population, and this figure is growing further. Azerbaijan has a modern, stable society."

The 48th Munich Security Conference focused on analyzing the consequences of the Arab Spring, efforts to ensure a nuclear-free world in the Euro-Atlantic region, the shift of US military interests to the Pacific region, "frozen" conflicts in Europe’s neighborhood, cyber-risks and challenges, and averting conflicts caused by access to energy resources.

The conference was also attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The Munich conference, held since 1962, is a key forum aiming to discuss pressing issues of international security.

‘Unique situation’
Addressing the "Energy, Resources, and the Environment: New Security Parameters" panel discussion in Munich as the keynote speaker, President Aliyev regarded the signing of the agreement with Turkey on the transit of Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe as one of the key developments of last year. Aliyev said it will essentially open "a big door" for supplies of the resource-rich South Caucasus republic’s gas to European markets.

"We are currently in a very unique situation," he said. "We are in need of the European market, because, first of all, it is a big market. Secondly, this market is regulated by legislation and legal norms. Certainly, it is a growing market, a market of our partners. And the European market needs alternative supply sources."

Aliyev expressed optimism over the Southern Gas Corridor of planned pipelines, which aims to diversify gas supplies to European markets.

"There are several reasons which increase this optimism," he commented. "First…the discovery of new gas fields [in Azerbaijan] and the availability of transportation infrastructure, though it is insignificant. Second, Europe’s rising needs for our energy resources, as well as very fruitful cooperation between European institutions and Azerbaijan, which has turned into a real partnership in the last few years. The visit by the European Commission president to Azerbaijan in 2011, the signing of the Declaration on the Southern Gas Corridor and the establishment of a joint working group co-chaired by honorable Oettinger [EU Energy Commissioner] -- all this draws a very positive picture in terms of our future plans."

Aliyev further spoke about energy diversification and security.

"These two issues are directly linked to each other," he said. "But when we speak about diversification and energy security for European consumers, I think we need to focus on the diversification of energy sources, rather than diversification of supply routes from the same source, though diversification of routes is important as well. Thus, for European consumers, Azerbaijan is a new and major source, a close and friendly source. If we succeed in realizing our plans relating to the construction of a strong Southern Corridor, in the coming decades we will enter a stage of very prolific and mutually beneficial energy cooperation. Therefore, energy security has already become an important national security issue. As a producer [of energy resources], we understand that and want all of our partners to treat the issue the same way."

According to Aliyev, no country can make plans for its future development without energy security and forecasting.

"We are aware of the changes and approaches to various sources of energy, especially after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant," the president said. "So, it is absolutely clear that the needs for natural gas will rise. Azerbaijan is a resource-rich, loyal country with an open policy and firm ties with European institutions."

Aliyev-Clinton meeting
On the sidelines of the Munich conference, President Aliyev met US Secretary of State Clinton last Saturday.

They praised Azerbaijan-U.S. relations and expressed confidence that bilateral ties would continue to expand.

Azerbaijan’s contribution to the peacemaking operations in Afghanistan as part of the international anti-terror coalition was hailed during the meeting.

Aliyev and Clinton also had a broad exchange of views on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.