New political landscape formed in South Caucasus - AIR Center

A new political landscape has formed in the South Caucasus, characterized by a move towards peace and normalization of relations between the countries of the region, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Analysis of International Relations and Multiculturalism (AIR Center) Farid Shafiyev said on Tuesday in Baku at the international conference "Security and Cooperation in the South Caucasus," Report informs.

According to him, following the collapse of the USSR, the South Caucasus faced a number of conflicts, the most tragic of which in terms of human casualties was the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

"Today we are increasingly talking about peace and are moving towards its legal formalization. Azerbaijan did not take advantage of its superiority after the victory on the battlefield, but, on the contrary, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev saw a prospect in which Armenia and Azerbaijan would be able to cooperate, conduct trade, and maintain a dialogue," Shafiyev noted.

He emphasized that along with peace and normalization of relations between the two countries, the border delimitation process, the development of transport communications, as well as peacebuilding and reconciliation remain important directions.

"The political leadership of all three countries of the region - Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia - understands the advantages of peace. However, this peace must be supported through partnership and dialogue," the AIR Center chairman said.

According to him, relations with geopolitical centers of power, including the US and the European Union, play an important role in ensuring sustainable peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus.