ALLIANCE OF THREE

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey are stepping up trilateral strategic partnership. This is evidenced by the outcome of the Tbilisi-hosted fifth meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries.

Experts call the outcome of the Tbilisi ministerial meeting all sorts of names - they believe it finalized the formation of an Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey geopolitical axis.

Meanwhile, the outcome of the trilateral meeting in the Georgian capital requires much more balanced and, not controversial, evaluations. Because this is about the strategic policy of the three regional countries towards further rapprochement, primarily in the economic field, without a touch of geopolitical orientation against the interests of any other countries. Especially given the fact that Azerbaijani-Georgian-Turkish cooperation extends beyond an exclusively trilateral format and even a region-wide format of partnership, successfully fitting into trends of all Eurasian integration as one of its integral links.

The essence of the talks held in Tbilisi is revealed by a declaration adopted by the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey - Elmar Mammadyarov, Mikheil Janelidze and Mevlut Cavusoglu. The document expresses full support for projects being implemented in the region with the participation of the three countries. This is primarily about the "Southern Gas Corridor" and other energy projects that envisage the transportation of Caspian hydrocarbon resources to world markets via Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

In this context, beyond doubt is the key role that Azerbaijan plays, in which connection Elmar Mammadyarov said: "As you know, Azerbaijan has always offered its transit opportunities for the delivery of Caspian energy resources to the Western market. Following the successful implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [oil pipeline] project, we have initiated a number of important projects in the region. Through implementation of the projects to build TANAP [Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline], the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and a new Baku International Trade Port, which are the main components of the 'Southern Gas Corridor', Azerbaijan brings together the most important regions of Eurasia. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the new Baku International Trade Port will be a key segment of the East-West corridor."

Thus, the basis of the strategic partnership of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey is their joint participation in major projects at the Eurasian crossroads. And its significance cannot be neutralized even by certain new trends in the regional geoeconomy like those that have emerged, for example, following the lifting of international economic sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran, in connection with which there is speculation about Iranian gas supplies to Europe via Armenia and Georgia. Or, say, speculation about a possible increase in the purchase of Russian gas by Georgia, to which end negotiations are being held between Tbilisi and Gazprom. Such moves by the Georgian leadership, naturally, cause a number of questions on part of Azerbaijan, because, on the one hand, those moves envisage the involvement of aggressor Armenia in regional energy projects, and on the other they are detrimental to the economic interests of Baku and Azerbaijan's State Oil Company (SOCAR).

However, the trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey showed that Tbilisi remains committed to strategic partnership with Baku and Ankara as a guarantor of both a successful implementation of major projects in the region and a stable role of Georgia as a key transit country in South Caucasus geopolitics and geoeconomics.

The Eurasia dimension of Azerbaijani-Georgian-Turkish partnership is determined, firstly, by its contribution to the formation of the new Silk Road, which will link China with Europe (with possible close involvement of countries like Kazakhstan and Ukraine in the trilateral cooperation). Secondly, this is about the impact of the political dialogue among Baku, Tbilisi and Ankara on provision of security across the region. In this context, we should note, first of all, the fight against terrorism which has become extremely topical.

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Georgia reaffirmed the solidarity of their countries with Turkey in the fight against terrorism. The Tbilisi declaration condemns the inhuman terrorist attacks that were carried out in Ankara and Diyarbakir on 17-18 February 2016, killing more than 35 Turkish citizens.

Baku, Tbilisi and Ankara also express a common approach to the resolution of ongoing territorial conflicts in the region, which, as the declaration states, "impede peace, stability and economic development" in the South Caucasus. The document points out the need for respect for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of states, as well as the unacceptability of changing state borders by using force. Baku, Tbilisi and Ankara confirm their position that a speedy peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Nagornyy Karabakh region and other adjacent parts of Azerbaijan, as well as the conflicts in Georgia's Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions should be carried out in accordance with norms and principles of international law, on the basis of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of the states and in accordance with relevant resolutions and decisions passed by the UN, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

In a statement about Armenia's continuing aggression against Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov emphasized that the lack of success in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is the greatest threat to regional cooperation. "Unfortunately, Armenia continues to pursue an aggressive policy," Mammadyarov recalled. "The continuation of this policy by Armenia, and efforts to maintain the status quo do not make it possible to achieve progress in resolving the conflict."

Thus, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey confirm their interest in a speedy settlement of the conflicts in the South Caucasus region, first of all the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. However, the reaction of Armenian politicians and experts to the expression of the peaceful position by Baku, Tbilisi and Ankara once again pointed to Yerevan's reluctance to end its occupation of Azerbaijani territories and achieve a settlement of the conflict based on international legal norms. Armenia also openly tries to ignite a malevolent international background around the outcome of the trilateral meeting hosted by the Georgian capital. In a bid to appeal to Russian public opinion, which has been anti-Turkish over the past few months, Yerevan seeks to make people believe that Azerbaijani-Georgian-Turkish cooperation is developing in line with Ankara's policy to step up its influence in the South Caucasus. They are saying that Turkey is forming an anti-Russian Ankara-Tbilisi-Baku geopolitical axis. At the same time, Armenia is also trying to play upon the feelings of Iran, which is stepping up its influence in regional policy and traditionally competes with Turkey in South Caucasus affairs.

Also noteworthy is the fact that Armenia, which is leading a miserable life in the grip of an endless economic crisis, is being especially exasperated by the key connecting role that Azerbaijan plays in regional integration projects. Thus, political analyst Valeriy Gyanjumyan says that there is danger coming not only for Armenia but also for Russia and Iran from the tendency of the "branching" of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ankara geopolitical axis "in the directions of Azerbaijan-Turkey-Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan-Turkey-Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan-Iran-Turkey".

Meanwhile, as noted above, the partnership within the framework of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ankara "triangle" is not directed against a fourth party, nor does it seek to become a sort of an arena or a tool of geopolitical confrontation between major global centres of power, in particular - between the West and Russia. This, at least, is something that Azerbaijan will not let happen. Armenia obviously fears the growing strengthening of Azerbai-jan's regional positions. Moreover, Azerbaijan is seeking to use the potential of different international organizations and formats it is a member of, solely for the purposes and in the interests of cooperation among countries and peoples. In this sense, it is obvious that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ankara "triangle" has long proven itself to be a platform for good neighbourliness and effective cooperation in the region. This is clearly indicated by the inevitable intertwining of the "triangle's" interests and promising projects with Russian and Iranian aspirations, and by the expanding interaction between Azerbaijan and these influential powers, which are traditionally big players in the Caucasus and in which small Armenia, with its miserable economy and lack of any prospects for a decent future (outside cooperation with Azerbaijan and Turkey, both of which it hates) is trying to foment opposition to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ankara trilateral format.