ARAB VECTOR

The official visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Saudi Arabia, which was extremely rich in content, as well as the recent official visit to Baku by the vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Emir of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, forced many observers to say that in the current geopolitical and geo-economic conditions, the Arab direction has become one of the important components of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.

According to official media, the subject of negotiations between the president of Azerbaijan and the leadership of the two influential countries of the Arab world was similar. The sides discussed issues of bilateral cooperation within international organizations, primarily the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as economic cooperation and implementation of joint investment projects. A separate place in the talks with the Emir of Dubai was taken by the theme of investment in tourism, taking into account that the rapidly developing Baku is often referred to in the foreign press as the "Dubai of the Caucasus".

And, of course, in the negotiations between Azerbaijan and the leaderships of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the sides exchanged views on regional security issues, including the Nagornyy Karabakh problem and international issues. In this regard, experts draw special attention to the fact that during the talks between the leaders of the two countries, Saudi Arabia voiced its recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which, according to observers, had never happened before.

Following the talks with the UAE prime minister, memorandums of understanding were signed in the field of disaster management and assistance and mutual cooperation on securities.

Separately, a few words about the visit of the Azerbaijani president to Saudi Arabia, where in addition to the above subjects, the theme of instability in oil prices, as expected by many analysts, was touched upon. During his stay in the country, Ilham Aliyev held talks with the king of this country, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. At the meeting with Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi, among other issues, the sides exchanged views on oil prices on the world market and held discussions on the Southern Gas Corridor project. And at the meeting between the Azerbaijani president and chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, the sides exchanged views on the joint production of the oil and chemical industry, oil and gas and agricultural products, the possibility of their exports to Saudi Arabia and third countries. The issue of holding meetings between petrochemical companies of Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia to explore opportunities for cooperation in this area was also discussed.

In addition to issues of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia, during the visit President Aliyev also discussed the possibility of cooperation with international organizations headquartered in the territory of the kingdom. Thus, in Jeddah Aliyev met with the President of the Islamic Development Bank Group Ahmad Mohamed Ali and OIC Secretary General Iyad bin Amin Madani. They discussed the implementation of joint projects, and along with that, the secretary general of the OIC expressed special gratitude to Azerbaijan for political and financial assistance to the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, there are reasons to believe that an important place in the negotiations was taken by the current alarming processes that are taking place throughout the Middle East. "In order not to give a chance to those who are trying to present Islam as a threat to the world, we still have to work harder to unite our efforts. Islam is a religion of peace and brotherhood. We know this. Everyone should know this. We need to become more active in order to promote our values and correctly present our past, present and our future plans," the president of Azerbaijan said at the meeting with the OIC secretary general. It must be noted that the official visit of the Azerbaijani delegation to Saudi Arabia ended with the performance of Umrah - small Hajj - by President Ilham Aliyev and members of his family in the main shrine of the Islamic world in Mecca and with a visit to the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.

Many analysts believe that behind the visit of the Azerbaijani president to Saudi Arabia and in general Baku's frequent contacts with the leading countries of the world is something more than a desire to strengthen bilateral relations and bring the level of economic ties to a high political level. The previous visit of the Azerbaijani president to Saudi Arabia was paid 10 years ago. There are suggestions that the visit to the Arabian Peninsula at a time when virtually the entire Middle East is going up in flames of instability took place for a reason and is directly connected to it.

The events happening around neighbouring Iran, Yemen and the whole of the Middle East cannot but disturb Azerbaijan, and in these conditions, the republic cannot afford to be a bystander. Moreover, the Azerbaijani political scientist and researcher at the Institute for Human Rights, Moisey Bekker, considers another visit remarkable as well: the visit to Azerbaijan in mid-March by Mamnoon Hussain, the president of Pakistan, who is a close friend and ally of the Saudi kingdom. "Look who is in a coalition with the Saudis today, and it will be clear to you in which direction events are developing. As a secular state, Azerbaijan is trying to remain neutral in any conflict, and for this, we need good relations with all countries of the region. The leadership of our country is wisely trying to protect themselves from possible external interference and attempts to draw them into the expanding conflict, especially given the religious component, which must be taken into account in any case," the analyst said. In this regard, there is reason to believe that Aliyev's visit to the Arabian Peninsula may be related with the increasing confrontation between Iran and a number of Sunni states led by Saudi Arabia, and, last but not least, with the attempt to stabilize the price of oil on the market. Plus, we cannot forget about the growing activities of extremists in the Middle East who are threatening to infiltrate the South Caucasus and, in addition, draw Azerbaijanis into the fight on their side against the governments of Iraq and Syria.

Saudi Arabia is one of the leading countries in the Arab and Muslim world, the cradle of Islam and an important centre for the oil and gas industry, on which the state of the oil market and prices for hydrocarbons largely depend. In addition, after the success of the negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme in Lausanne, there is a serious chance for the first time in the last three decades that international sanctions against Iran, another major producer of energy, will be lifted. Perhaps the possible return of this country to the global energy market requires synchronization of watches between traditional energy exporters in the region.

It is likely that due to the possible lifting of sanctions on Iran, this country will try to oust the competitors that have taken its place. This can be achieved only by dumping prices, which will affect all producers of hydrocarbons. Oil revenues will give Iran an opportunity to significantly broaden its expansion throughout the region.

The situation is aggravated by the tacit confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Yemen, where Houthi Shiite rebels have taken up arms. Saudi Arabia and its allies are currently conducting a military operation dubbed "Decisive Storm" against the Houthis, who are believed to be supported by Tehran. Moreover, Iran recently sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden on the shores of Yemen, which is of key importance for global oil transport. It is important to note that among the countries that supported this military campaign was the closest ally of Azerbaijan -Turkey, which, just like Saudi Arabia, is not pleased with the prospect of Iran strengthening its expansion in the region.

The high reception the Azerbaijani president received in Saudi Arabia (the delegation of the republic at the airport was met by the king himself) shows that the interests of the parties are the same. The gratitude of Saudi Arabia for Azerbaijan's support in issues that are important to it can give Baku considerable dividends. It is not just the possibility of Arabs providing profitable loans as some believe. In this context, a correct position on the ongoing processes in the Middle East will allow Azerbaijan to garner significant support from the Arab world in the Karabakh issue, which is the most important issue for us.

AT FIRST HAND

"Since the beginning of the year I have made two visits to Turkey and have been on visits to Germany, Bulgaria, the Vatican and Saudi Arabia. These visits made in three months are already showing that Azerbaijan is conducting a multi-directional foreign policy. Saudi Arabia is the centre of the Muslim world, a country that boasts our holy places, while the Vatican is the centre of the Christian world."

Ilham ALIYEV, President of Azerbaijan