Baku has become favorable, safe platform for dialogue
Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Army General Valery Gerasimov and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Tod Wolters met in Baku on February 6and 7. This is not the first meeting between the two power centers held in Baku, Gerasimov and Wolters already met July 10 last year in Baku. During the meeting, the parties discussed the state of European and global security, the prevention of possible conflicts on the Russia-NATO line, the issues of combating terrorism. Two power centers – Russia and NATO – see Azerbaijan as a reliable partner, therefore they choose namely Baku to hold such important meetings.
The meetings of the generals in Baku have a number of important reasons. First of all, this is related to the strengthening image of President Ilham Aliyev in the international arena, Azerbaijan’s position as a partner in defending the principles of international law and security mechanisms, and Azerbaijan’s non-alignment with political blocs. Moreover, Azerbaijan is a reliable partner, and undoubtedly, the factors of stability and security in the country also play an important role. Today no one is questioning why Baku is the venue for a meeting. The reason is that Azerbaijan has gone through difficult stages to take its rightful place in the system of international relations. Baku is hosting not only regional but also worldwide events.
By all existing criteria, the capital of Azerbaijan – Baku – has become a favorable, safe platform for dialogue, in particular, for meetings of military leaders of the two power structures of the world and for discussion of existing global problems. These meetings have important political significance not only for NATO and Russia, but also for the whole world because the issues which are discussed at them concern the whole humanity. Azerbaijan has great experience in providing support to maintain security in the world. The country has been cooperating with NATO for many years in combating terrorism and restoring stability in the hotbeds of conflict. The Azerbaijani president attended a meeting of the North Atlantic Council of NATO in Brussels on November 23, 2017. The president’s participation in such a high-status event upon the invitation is a clear example that NATO assesses Azerbaijan as a reliable partner.
Shabnam Hasanova
Political Analyst
Yazar
