IN SEARCH OF STABILITY

Active and former politicians, political scientists and experts have gathered in the capital of Azerbaijan for the third year to discuss the most topical issues of today. The agenda of Global [Shared Societies] Forum in Baku which gathered some 200 high ranking representatives, public and political figures from 70 countries of the world on 28-29 April has never been so busy. And this reflects reality. The world is perhaps going today through the most complicated period since the end of World War II, which is characterized by the break-up of the international law system and a crisis in interstate relations. Never has mankind been faced with so many challenges, such as instability of the global economy aggravated by falling oil prices, growing tensions in different parts of the world caused by ethnic conflicts and religious extremism, sanction and trade wars and many more. The subject of the forum being traditionally broken down into topic panels, the general subject of debate was worded roughly as follows: "How to build trust in the emerging world order? What should be done for stability to prevail in the world?" 

Could anyone have expected the price of oil to drop to its historical minimum over the past five years? Who could have known that the Islamic State, which was at first perceived as just a handful of religious extremists getting plenty of weapons, would terrorize the entire Near and Middle East and threaten the state system of many countries in the region? Who ever could have thought that Ukraine would be gripped in a fratricidal war and, as a result of the Russia-West confrontation, the world would be faced with the threat of World War III? 

In his greeting speech to forum participants, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev voiced his regret that international law is not respected by all states anymore. "The impression is that international law invariably applies only to countries that are not strong enough to get their goals achieved by other means. We can clearly see that leading states of the world grossly violate standards of international law and thus undermine the entire structure of the post-war system of international relations," the president said citing by way of example the inability of the UN Security Council to meet its own resolutions adopted over the past 20-plus years demanding an unconditional pull-out of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territory. 

"We must try and use our capabilities, intellectual potential and international prestige to strengthen the current system of international relations. We must respect international law. We must have respect for resolutions of international organizations. In some cases, resolutions are fulfilled without delay - I mean resolutions of the UN Security Council - while in other cases they remain unfulfilled for years and decades. In that case, contradiction arises between international law, political interests and political priorities. And this leads to disappointment. This creates a situation where double standards become a rule rather than an exception," the head of state said. 

The world crisis has reached a record limit and one of the main tasks of today's world is to ensure supremacy of the law, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said echoing the Azerbaijani head of state. "Peace is not only the absence of war. Peace is supremacy of the law," he aptly said in his speech pointing out the importance for the forum participants to develop the ideas voiced during the discussions and to achieve the tasks set. 

"Our final goal is to establish common standards for stability and wellbeing," Macedonian President George Ivanov said backing his Bulgarian counterpart. 

Other speakers spoke in unison: the rules formulated in the past century for playing on the international scene are either unable to cope with modern challenges, or are overtly ignored by leading states of the world. Hence the main conclusion is that something should be done about the UN as the main organization responsible for stability, development and peace all over the world. What can be added after this very idea was voiced even by former UN Secretary General Boutros-Gali in his video address to forum participants (the 92 year old politician was unable to arrive in Baku because of health problems). He said that the United Nations is an "aging organization" that needs to be "rejuvenated". 

In fact, there is one recipe to settle all problems and this particular recipe was laid in the foundation when establishing this organization. All problems, whether ethnic conflicts or problems like global crisis or climatic change, should be dealt with jointly on the basis of universal principles developed by the entire world community and without showing double standards. Ancient Romans said: Tua res agitur, paries cum proximus ardet - Your house is in danger if your neighbour's wall is aflame. As sad modern experience demonstrates, there should be no indifferent or dual attitudes to problems of separatism, terrorism, religious extremism and other challenges. "We have been thinking for 20 years that Karabakh was a far past. That Abkhazia, Ossetia and the Dniester Region were a far past. But then Crimea and Donbass emerged," Viktor Yushchenko, former president of Ukraine, a well-to-do country until recently, admitted of this sad truth at the forum. As President Ilham Aliyev said before him, if the international community had treated the aggressive separatism in Nagornyy Karabakh in a timely and proper fashion, many of the current conflicts would never have happened.

The third Baku forum was not at all a box-ticking event. Its importance consists in that the forum gets together experienced politicians, intellectuals, people who served or serve their countries honestly. Former presidents, premiers and ministers take part in such discussions alongside with active politicians and this is utterly important because they have great experience in dealing with international problems. However, unlike their successors who are currently in office, they are freer in expressing their thoughts. There are no former politicians, much like intelligence officers.

Solutions from participants of the forum will be presented to the leaderships of many states and taken into account in their policy making. The leaders of Europe's key countries - British Prime Minister David Cameron and Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel - had a good reason to send their welcome address supporting the work of the forum.  In their words, the forum aims at settling issues of international cooperation, the most important problems and security challenges. Henry Kissinger, a heavyweight of world politics whose latest book "World Order" highlights present-day challenges, such as ISIL, the Ukraine crisis, Syria and relations with Iran, also addressed the audience in Baku. He voiced his certainty that, as the old world order goes and a new one emerges, the forum will make it possible to change the world into a better place for future generation to live in.