A SIGNAL TO BAKU FROM BERLIN

A working visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Germany, held on 7 June, was a very remarkable event in many ways. Not only it proved to be a milestone in the bilateral dialogue between Baku and Berlin, but also it confirmed the importance of Azerbaijan in the context of the interests of Germany and the entire European Union in the Eurasian crossroads. In this sense, Azerbaijan's role as a possible bridge for negotiating certain contradictions between the closest strategic ally - brotherly Turkey - and the largest centres of global and regional policy, in particular the EU, has been emphasized once again.

Azerbaijan's head of state paid a visit to Germany for the second time this year. The first visit took place in February and was associated with President Ilham Aliyev's participation in the Munich Security Conference. The current visit was motivated by issues of the Azerbaijani-German partnership, although it took place against the background of repercussions caused by a resolution recently adopted by the German Bundestag, which recognized the so-called "genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire".

By the way, a few days before his visit to Berlin, at a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim who visited Baku, the Azerbaijani president described the decision of the German parliament as a "political put-up job", "a manifestation of double standards and distortion of history", and expressed his full support to the brotherly country. "The Armenian issue is only a pretext, which has become a tool in the hands of great powers," Ilham Aliyev said. He also recalled - and quite appropriately - that a year ago, on the eve of the European Games in Baku, the German parliament passed an anti-Azerbaijani resolution. The goal was the same - to exert pressure in order to make a specific country act according to the wishes and will of Europe, and more broadly, the entire West.

Azerbaijan was the only state to support Turkey that once again came under attack of European policy poisoned by Armenian venom, which traditionally seeks to prevent Ankara from strengthening its positions in the political and economic process in the region. Thus, the special nature of Azerbaijani-Turkish relations based on common strategic interests and joint counteraction to threats facing the two brotherly countries has been confirmed once again. This is also corroborated by the fact that Binali Yildirim, the new head of the Turkish government, made his first foreign visit in this capacity to Baku. What is more, it took place on the following day after the adoption of a pro-Armenian resolution by the Bundestag.

Receiving Binali Yildirim, Ilham Aliyev reminded about the successful cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan in all spheres and expressed confidence that only the unity of Baku and Ankara would lead to stability in the region. But above all, there was a common rejection of the German resolution that was unfair towards Turkey. In turn, Yildirim recalled Azerbaijan's urgent problem - the Armenian aggression - which is the cause of the ongoing Karabakh conflict. Stating that the conflict could only be resolved after the return to Azerbaijan of territories occupied by Armenia, the Turkish prime minister expressed dissatisfaction with the work of the OSCE Minsk Group. "It is time for the international community to refrain from applying double standards," said Yildirim.

Meanwhile, the Karabakh conflict was the underlying reason for Ilham Aliyev's voyage to Germany. Preparations for his visit to Berlin began long before the anti-Turkish demarche of German MPs. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told about her plans to meet the head of Azerbaijan in June already during Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's visit to Germany almost two months ago. As a matter of fact, the latter very much wanted to secure Germany's condemnation of Azerbaijan which had driven Armenian occupiers from a number of strategic positions during the April clashes in Karabakh. However, Sargsyan's pathetic complaints apparently failed to produce the effect he intended. The chancellor of Germany - the country currently holding the OSCE chairmanship - only said that Berlin was ready to "support in a special way the Minsk Group responsible for the settlement of the conflict". Thus, the visit of the Azerbaijani leader to Germany has gained particular importance in the context of a possible activation of Germany's role in the Karabakh settlement.

Interestingly, on the eve of Ilham Aliyev's arrival in Berlin, the Bundestag's Germany-South Caucasus Parliamentary Friendship Group demanded the adoption of urgent measures for an early solution to the Karabakh problem within the OSCE. Recalling UN Security Council resolutions stating the unacceptability of the status quo in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict zone from the standpoint of the principles of international law, the group expressed its readiness to participate in negotiations with the parties as a mediator.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Angela Merkel, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated the need for a peaceful settlement to the conflict based on the norms of international law and UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Armenia took possession of Azerbaijani territories by force, he recalled, adding that "it is enough to look at the map of the region to see who the aggressor is and who the victim of aggression is". President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that Armenia captured not only Nagornyy Karabakh but also seven other regions of Azerbaijan. Armenian aggressors destroyed historical monuments of Azerbaijan, committed numerous war crimes the most hideous of which was the Xocali [Khojali] genocide during which 613 people were killed, including 106 women and 63 children. "And all this happened before the eyes of the international community," the Azerbaijani head of state observed with deep regret.

Ilham Aliyev also touched on the topic of the recent deterioration of the situation on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. The president of Azerbaijan noted that the Armenian side continues to make provocations in order to drag on the "endless talks". The same thing happened in early April, too, but this time Yerevan miscalculated. As a result of a counterattack, the Azerbaijani army managed to regain control over some of the occupied territories of our country.

One of the most important statements made by Ilham Aliyev in the German capital concerned the fragility of the ceasefire in the region of the Karabakh conflict, which involves a change in the status quo that exists as a result of the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories. In other words, Ilham Aliyev has made it clear to Germany and the whole of Europe that, despite the ceasefire agreement, peace in Karabakh is insecure and achieving it on a long-term basis requires the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. If the EU including its main economic entity, Germany, is really interested in an early solution to the Karabakh conflict, it should employ all means at its disposal to exert pressure on aggressive Armenia whose policy is a major cause of conflict and instability in the region.

Of course, Ilham Aliyev's statement should be regarded as a message addressed not only to Germany currently holding the OSCE chairmanship, but also to the states co-chairing the Minsk Group which acts under the auspices of this organization. This is an appeal intended to ensure that international mediators - the United States, France, and Russia - seriously step up their efforts in resolving the Karabakh conflict. By the way, while in Berlin in April, Sargsyan permitted himself a series of anti-Russian attacks. He said "it is painful" that Armenia's strategic partner - the Russian Federation - sells weapons to Azerbaijan. Unlike the Armenian president, Azerbaijan's head of state demonstrated during his visit to Germany that our country has no complexes or fears whatsoever about the fact that Armenia is an ally of Russia which, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, "plays a major role in the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict".

Describing Russia as a strategic partner of Azerbaijan, a country with which "we have very constructive and friendly relations", Ilham Aliyev said that the sale of Russian arms to Armenia does not cause allergy in Baku. He also noted that, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan fully pays the cost of the weapons purchased from Russia. Furthermore, Azerbaijan makes no secret of the fact that it buys weapons not only from Russia, but also from Turkey, Israel, Belarus, Iran and many other countries, as "we are modernizing our armed forces," Ilham Aliyev reminded. This statement is another signal of Azerbaijan's readiness to liberate its occupied territories in any way.

The president of Azerbaijan took part in the Germany-Azerbaijan business forum, which was an important event during his visit to Berlin. Having emphasized the need to put an end to the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories as a guarantee of a full-scale regional cooperation, Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that such "cooperation would pave the way for peace and stability". In this regard, it is appropriate to note the importance of the discussion in Berlin of major energy projects being implemented with the participation of Azerbaijan. Ilham Aliyev pointed out that the EU provides a lot of support to Azerbaijan's efforts, in particular within the Southern Gas Corridor project which is going to give Europe new sources of gas.

Also, the Azerbaijani president highly appreciated transport projects being implemented with the participation of our country to create a "secure connection" between Asia and Europe. In view of the circumstances noted by Ilham Aliyev, Turkey's role as one of the key countries for Europe, including Germany, at the Eurasian crossroads is invaluable. Thus, Azerbaijan with its huge strategic importance and economic attractiveness can play a bridge-building role for re-establishing friendly relations between Ankara and Berlin in the near future, which have obviously been affected by the pro-Armenian resolution adopted by the German parliament.