Expert says Azerbaijan becomes key figure in region

By Azernews

By Gunay Hasanova

The August 8 meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was the first trilateral summit of the three nations, which sought to boost economic cooperation.

The leaders announced that the new format should help improve ties, while the Baku summit prepared grounds for cementing expended regional cooperation.

The head of CIS Countries Department of the Institute of Political Studies, Alexei Bychkov, believes that the first trilateral summit of the three presidents is an historical event, which in turn, serves as a new page in modern geopolitics.

"President Putin’s meeting with Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Hassan Rouhani is a landmark event in the history of relations between the three countries,” he said while talking to Day.Az.

He emphasized that Baku will become an important player in the interstate bloc Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran.

“The Baku summit was not just a meeting of the heads of leading states in region, but also the transformation of Azerbaijan into a central player not only in the Caucasus region, but in all Middle East  military-political and economic spaces as well,” said Bychkov.

The expert stressed that the meeting moved the situation in the regional geopolitics to a more positive direction.

The expert also spoke about warm friendly relations between Baku and Moscow.  He stated that Baku’s role is reinforced by the strong interstate relations between Baku and Moscow, as well as the friendly relations between the Russian and Azerbaijani presidents.

The leaders of the three countries have signed a declaration, following the tripartite meeting in Baku. They urged the world community to unite efforts for the effective fight against terrorism and extremism, as well as the countering of trans-national crime.

The presidents of Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan "call on the world community to pool efforts for the effective fight against these challenges and threats to international stability and security with the UN central coordinating role."

Besides, "the parties admit that unsettled conflicts in the region are a significant impediment for regional cooperation, and in this regard underline the importance of their soonest possible peaceful resolution through talks on the basis of the principles and norms of international law and the decisions and documents adopted in line with them."