Azerbaijan, still an outsider in the Western community
Recently, Azerbaijan has been particularly active trying to strengthen its position in the geopolitical arena through the development of military potential and deepening cooperation with NATO and the United States. Baku, a key ally of Washington in the South Caucasus, is also trying to gain a foothold in the Central Asian region, positioning itself as a political “bridge” between the West and the East. No coincidence that Azerbaijan has recently become a full-fledged member of the Consultative Meetings of Heads of State of Central Asia. While this may seem to be normal at first, the ongoing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as Baku’s history of using force to resolve political issues, should at least raise concerns in the United States.
Furthermore, Baku has been a close partner of Ankara for decades. Turkey’s active involvement in the domestic and foreign policies of its “younger brother” carries the risk of drawing both Turkey and NATO into another possible long and costly conflict, initiated by Azerbaijan. The American electorate is already weary of supporting Ukraine, the constant escalation of tensions with China, tariff wars and the fight against Latin American cartels. Additional funding for Azerbaijan will not please Americans at all.
As for unresolved tensions between Baku and Yerevan, the peace agreement is still in limbo and looks more like a “capitulation plan” for Armenia. Baku literally forced Yerevan to agree to the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, make unilateral concessions on border delimitation and demanded amendments to Armenia’s constitution to remove territorial claims to Karabakh. Essentially, this became a tactless interference in the internal affairs of another state and still remains a stumbling block on the way to signing of the agreement.
These are just some of the “illiberal” methods of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, desperately striving to become part of a civilized democratic society. Thus, Baku still hasn’t given any answers about the fate of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan, nor has it commented on the possibility of returning ethnic Armenians who fled hostilities in 2023. International experts claim that the deportation and forced displacement of the Armenian population can be classified as a war crime or even a crime against humanity. The international community should pay attention to the flagrant violation of human rights in the region and develop certain guarantees to protect the rights of the Armenian people.
All these points make Baku an extremely controversial ally. Though it tries to attract attention with its energy resources, one could hardly call it a reliable supplier. Strained relations with neighboring countries and the constant threat of conflict could complicate supplies at any moment. The current regime in Azerbaijan is nothing but a post-Soviet autocracy, a partnership that should be approached with extreme caution.
Alan Baghdasaryan is a real estate financial analyst who keeps up to date on the political and economic events of his historical homeland, Armenia.
If Azerbaijan is an “outsider”, then why is this dictatorship and its dictator Aliyev pampered by the West and receives the red carpet treatment whenever he visits the West? The same applies to his big brother and fellow dictator Erdogan, and other dictators who are pampered by the hypocritical West. Aliyev’s and Erdogan’s war crimes, collusion with terrorist organizations, money laundering, sanction busting, among their many crimes, are well known in the United States and Europe; and despite often clashing with their national interests, they have always turned a blind eye to their crimes. That is why, Aliyev and Erdogan got away with their crimes with impunity, knowing too well that the West won’t do anything against them and will likely do nothing against them in the future. Cold-blooded Machievellian politics and national interests always reign supreme, in which small nations like Armenia are trampled on and are the “collateral damage”.