Integration without compromising sovereigntynty

Azerbaijan is one of the fastest developing countries in the world, which is enjoying economic growth even during the global financial crisis. The country's efficient management of oil revenues has been widely recognized by international economic organizations and rating agencies. The country's economic development is being discussed at the world's most prestigious forums. All this enabled Azerbaijan to transform itself into a forum of discussion about many acute problems facing the international community. 

In April, Azerbaijan became the second country in the post-Soviet space to host a session of the Davos forum (before that the World Economic Forum held an away session in St Petersburg). The agreement to hold the session was reached in Davos in January during a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the founder and executive chairman of the Davos Forum, Klaus Schwab. Therefore, it is no wonder that the session called Strategic Dialogue about the Future of the South Caucasus and Central Asia was held in Baku. 

Azerbaijan has already become a centre of dialogue between cultures and civilizations and a venue of discussion about global issues in political, economic, humanitarian and other spheres. In the past two years alone Baku hosted the first World Forum for Intercultural dialogue, the 7th UN forum for internet management, the Crans-Montana forum and other international events. A forum for intercultural dialogue, the first South Caucasus Forum and a number of other events are due to be held this year. 

Georgia has not held as many outstanding forums, and Armenia is even further behind. The same is true of Central Asian countries of which Kazakhstan is the leader in this respect. However, Astana only comes up with integration initiatives in the Asian region; when it comes to European integration, all roads go though Baku. 

Opening the World Economic Forum session in Baku, Schwab first of all emphasized Azerbaijan's high economic growth indicators in recent years. "This became possible thanks primarily to the efficient use of the country's exclusive potential in the area of natural resources and economic diversification. Azerbaijan is a leading country in the sectors of information technology, finance and construction. Let me note that no country in this region is capable of realizing their potential on their own. Cooperation is a necessary prerequisite of long-term economic progress," Schwab said. 

He stressed that President Aliyev's permanent participation in the Davos forums had formed a comprehensive picture about the region's economic potential and its contribution to global economic revival. 

President Aliyev's permanent participation in Davos forums had a positive impact on the development of Azerbaijan's economy. 

"The World Economic Forum and the opportunities that have opened up thanks to the meetings held in Davos make it possible to establish contacts with international companies who had previously been unaware about Azerbaijan's existence at all. Participation in discussions and communication with the global business elite have greatly helped us in terms of the diversification of our economy," Aliyev said during the Baku session. 

"In addition, we are delighted to hear the World Economic Forum's assessments of our achievements. In terms of economic competitiveness, the World Economic Forum has ranked Azerbaijan 46th in the world. In the CIS our country has held a leading position in this respect for four consecutive years," Aliyev said. 

As has been said, the main topic of discussion at the forum was regional cooperation. In this regard Azerbaijan is rightfully regarded as the leader. Having no direct access to open sea the country has turned into an important player in the global energy market, creating a diversified network of pipelines for transporting its oil resources. Moreover, Azerbaijan has started playing the role of a transit country as it transports hydrocarbons for its partners on the other side of the Caspian Sea. 

"We are the first country to have declared the Caspian Sea open for foreign investment. We are the first country to have created a corridor from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean and Black Sea. At the moment, we are close to the completion of an important railway project between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. This project will enable Azerbaijan and neighbouring countries to connect Europe with Asia. The Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) project is one of the most important achievements of recent years. The idea was put forward by Azerbaijan and found wide support from our partners in Turkey and Georgia. Given the huge gas resources in Azerbaijan and potential resources in the region, this corridor can play an important role in the decades to come," Aliyev said. 

At the same time, Azerbaijan has not sacrificed nor intends to sacrifice its sovereignty for the sake of integration. "From Azerbaijan's position, sovereignty is an unchallenged concept. It is necessary to ensure100 per cent sovereignty. This probably has to do with our past when Azerbaijan was part of other empires and countries. Therefore, political and economic independence is a primary condition for our future development," Aliyev said at the forum.  

At the same time, unlike Armenia, which has driven itself into isolation due to its aggressive policy towards its neighbours, Azerbaijan is not an onlooker in regional cooperation. Moreover, not a single regional project can be implemented without Azerbaijan's participation at the moment. 

"We have initiated a large number of projects for regional cooperation and we regard this as beneficial. In my view, cooperation does not harm our sovereignty and we are not ceding our economic sovereignty to certain supranational unions and agencies. I think we have found the necessary balance between regional cooperation and integration on the one hand, and our sovereignty and freedom, on the other," Aliyev said. 

"We all need cooperation and a predictable situation in the region. We need stability. We need to expand our economic and political relations because we are all interconnected," the Azerbaijani leader said. 

On the whole, the session of the World Economic Forum once again showed that through its strategic location, economic might and its projects and initiatives for regional cooperation, Azerbaijan has a leading role in the South Caucasus and is a linking point for the entire Eurasian continent. Nearly all participants of the forum underscored this point in their speeches. The new projects of the TANAP gas pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway (which, among other things, is supposed to start operation for the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan) will further increase the country's role on the international scene.