Hikmet Hajiyev: Baku seeks to create a sustainable security architecture in the South Caucasus
Azerbaijan intends to shape a sustainable regional security architecture in the South Caucasus capable of countering factors that lead to wars and attempts to derail the peace process with Armenia.
As Report informs, this was stated by Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev in an interview with Jeffrey Sachs.
"This is not about a declarative peace or merely peace on paper. We are creating a truly viable peace — one that people will be able to feel," he emphasized.
He noted that for 30 years Azerbaijan had been in a state of conflict and confrontation with Armenia, and its territories remained under occupation. In 2023, that period came to an end.
After the end of the war, Hajiyev continued, Azerbaijan showed diplomatic courage. The president and the country's leadership demonstrated political leadership by offering peace to Armenia.
"The text of the peace treaty was prepared precisely in our country. We extended a hand of peace to neighboring Armenia. We had two paths before us: eternal war or eternal peace. We chose the path of eternal peace," he said.
Hajiyev emphasized that Azerbaijan won the war and liberated its territories, but after its conclusion the country's strategy became winning peace.
"Winning peace is far more difficult than winning a war. Today I am glad that, within the framework of the strategy to turn the entire South Caucasus into a space of cooperation, we are also winning in the peace process," he stated.
Hajiyev added that Azerbaijan preserves the culture and traditions of cooperation and strives to ensure that the region's geopolitical position serves peace, stability, and interaction.
"We will preserve and strengthen this peace. On the basis of the concept of peace, we intend to build a regional security architecture that will be able to withstand all the negative factors leading to wars, as well as the actions of forces seeking to disrupt the peace process. It must deliver a long-term result for future generations," Hajiyev summed up.
The presidential assistant also noted that in bilateral relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan is likewise leaving the historical past behind. "Some wounds are still fresh, and we cannot turn a blind eye to certain memories. However, at the same time, we are looking to the future — toward eternal peace," he emphasized.
Hajiyev added that the countries have already established trade ties and are working on creating transport links.
"Armenia is a landlocked country, and we are offering it the chance to become a country connected with other states of the region, and we are opening various transport routes for it," he said.
