JANUARY-2021 BULLETIN H I GHL I G H T O F T H E FORE I G N P O L I CY OF REPUBL I C OF AZERBA I JAN Table of contents I. The restoration of the liberated territories 2 II. Trilateral meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia 2 III. Turkish-Russian Joint Monitoring Center opens in Aghdam 3 IV. Turkmenistan boosts energy ties with Azerbaijan 4 V. Cooperation between Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Turkey gains momentum 6 VI. Nakhchivan Corridor will strengthen the connectivity in the South Caucasus 7 VII. Pax Caucasia: Peace in the South Caucasus should be based on reciprocity 9 I. The restoration of the liberated guarding Shusha. They control and will territories continue to control the adjacent heights. A commandant's office has been set up in The restoration and development of the newly Shusha and an institute of civil administration liberated territories is the top priority for the is being established now," President Ilham government of Azerbaijan. It implies wide Aliyev said, adding that “Shusha occupies a participation of private and state-owned special place in the history of Azerbaijan, and companies, as well as foreign investors in the the restoration and revival of Shusha is our process. Currently, Azerbaijan is developing a common cause”. concept of restoration and reconstruction of its liberated territories, which includes The restoration of territories in and around attracting foreign investors to the Karabakh was also a major topic of the development of these territories. On January meeting between the Minister of Economy of 19, the institute of the special representative the Republic of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov in the liberated territories was set up. In an and US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee online meeting, President Ilham Aliyev named Litzenberger on January 27. During the his first special representative for the newly meeting, the possible involvement of US liberated historical city of Shusha. "The first companies in the restoration of reclaimed appointment is to Shusha District and this is territories in Nagorno-Karabakh and around it absolutely natural. Susa has a special place in was discussed. In turn, the US ambassador the hearts of the Azerbaijani people. Shusha is expressed his satisfaction with the restoration the crown of Karabakh," the president told his of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, noting the representative for Shusha, Aydin Karimov, importance of ensuring sustainable peace in who was earlier dispatched to the city to the region. Litzenberger expressed the inspect and analyze the situation on the scene. willingness of US companies to participate in President Ilham Aliyev has reiterated the projects for the restoration of the liberated government's determination to have rebuilt territories, and above all, in projects for water Shusha by preserving its historical appearance. resources management, construction of roads, "The city has been declared cultural capital of other infrastructure, and digital technologies. Azerbaijan and after restoration, Susa will be a very lively city. Both local and international events should be held there - festivals, II. RTrilateral meeting between the competitions, and tours. Susa will be the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, cultural capital not only of Azerbaijan, but also and Russia the region," President Ilham Aliyev told Aydin On January 11, President Ilham Aliyev and Karimov. Aydin Karimov previously served as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met an adviser to the chairman of the State at a trilateral summit in Moscow with Russian Committee for Urban Planning and President Vladimir Putin, at the latter’s Architecture and took part in the initiative. The four-hour-long talks served as an implementation of the large-scale urban important follow-up to the ceasefire development project White City in Baku. statement signed by the three leaders on President Ilham Aliyev added that Shusha was November 9, 2020, which ended the 44-day properly protected by the Azerbaijani Armed Second Karabakh War. The meeting took place Forces. "The Azerbaijani servicemen are against the backdrop of growing political 3 instability in Armenia, where protestors agreed to establish and complete the attempted to block the road to the airport in formation of expert subgroups to deal with the order to prevent Prime Minister Pashinian provision of transport, including security, from leaving for Moscow. A meeting between border, customs, sanitary, by February 2, 2021 the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and and hold their first meetings by February 5, Armenia’s Prime Minister in Moscow on 2021. Vasif Huseynov, a senior advisor at the January 11, 2021, resulted in the signing of a Center of Analysis of International Relations second trilateral declaration. The document is (AIR Center), noted that “overall, the January primarily built upon the ninth article of the 11 summit left the resolution of many other November 9 trilateral statement – the issues regarding the conflict to the future. This restoration of all economic and transport links includes, primarily, questions about the and development of infrastructure projects in portion of the Karabakh region under the joint the region. According to this new Moscow control of Armenians and Russian Declaration, the unblocking of all peacekeepers”. communications in the region will be supervised by a Trilateral Working Group under the co-chairmanship of the Deputy III. Turkish-Russian Joint Monitoring Prime Ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Center opens in Aghdam Armenia. This Working Group must conduct its On January 30, a Turkish-Russian Joint first meeting by 30 January and decide on the Monitoring Centre has started operation in main priorities of this process. Sub-groups of Aghdam district to monitor the experts representing relevant state bodies of implementation of the clauses of the trilateral all three parties will also be established. This statement signed between Azerbaijan, Russia, expert group is tasked with preparing a list of and Armenia on November 10, 2020. Aghdam projects and the resources necessary for their is one of the districts that Azerbaijan liberated implementation within a month after the first as a result of the Second Karabakh War. The meeting of the Trilateral Working Group takes opening ceremony has been attended by place. Subsequently, by March 1, 2021, the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Zakir Trilateral Working Group has to submit the list Hasanov, Deputy Minister of National Defense for approval and provide a schedule of the of Turkey Yusun Emre Garaosmanoglu, and measures to be undertaken towards the Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander restoration of existing and establishment of Fomin. The area of the Turkish-Russian Joint new transport infrastructure in the region. The Center is about 4 hectares. There are 65 joint concluding statement of the Moscow modular administrative and living rooms in the summit declared establishing railway and area, the actual joint monitoring centre, a automobile communication as a priority and briefing room, a 100-seat canteen, a medical seeks to ensure international shipping across center, a laundry room, a barber, a tailor, a Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as cargo transit shop, sport and other facilities, and four by the two countries across each other’s monitoring towers. The whole territory has territories. On January 31, a trilateral meeting been fenced along the perimeter, 4 of the deputy prime ministers of Azerbaijan, observation towers have been installed, and Russia, and Armenia was convened in Moscow 24-hour security has been organized. The to discuss the implementation of the clauses of centre is guarded by the military servicemen of the November 10 Statement. The parties the Azerbaijani Army. 60 military servicemen Mirza İbrahimov 8, Baku, AZ1005, Azerbaijan, Phone: (+994 12) 596-82-39, (+994 12) 596-82-41, E-mail: [email protected] 4 from both Turkey and Russia will serve at the were agreed on. On August 12, 2018, five Monitoring Center. The Turkish staff of the littoral states of the Caspian Sea – Russia, monitoring center is led by Major General Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan Abdullah Katirci, and the Russian staff is led by – signed the Convention on the Legal Status of Major General Viktor Fedorenko. the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Convention resolved many disputed issues between the five Caspian littoral states, and one of the key IV. Turkmenistan boosts energy ties clauses of the Convention was supposed to with Azerbaijan facilitate the building of the undersea pipelines On January 21, 2021, Baku and Ashgabat with the consent of the countries only involved signed a memorandum of understanding on in the project. joint exploration and development of After the ratification of the Caspian hydrocarbon resources of the “Dostluk” Convention, cooperation between Baku and offshore oil field in the Caspian Sea. President Ashgabat have gained major new impetus. Ilham Aliyev said the memorandum “reflects During the visit of the president of the Republic both the nature and spirit of our fraternal of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Turkmenistan in friendly relations”, describing it as “historic”, November 2018, several important explaining that it is the first time that the two Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan documents were countries have embarked on “joint work to use signed, such as “the Program of Cooperation a deposit in the Caspian Sea”. “Today's signing between the Government of the Republic of opens a new page in the use of the Azerbaijan and the Government of hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian. This Turkmenistan in the Field of Transport for project will promote the strengthening of the 2019-2022” and “the Agreement on Long-term energy security of our countries as well as of Trade and Economic Cooperation between the our neighbours. It opens up big export Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and opportunities and, in this way, will promote the Government of Turkmenistan”. The visit of the growth of the welfare of our peoples,” the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly President Ilham Aliyev pointed out.