Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov speaks at GLOBSEC roundtable
On June 6 GLOBSEC in cooperation with the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Austria, hosted Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Jeyhun Bayramov in Bratislava, Slovakia, for an exclusive roundtable on Azerbaijan’s foreign policy priorities and regional developments in the South Caucasus. The timely event was attended by an international audience composed of government and diplomatic officials, academics, and researchers. GLOBSEC’s Roger Hilton curated the opening session and moderated the following Q/A period.
Minister Bayramov covered a host of both global and regional topics and initiated the roundtable by sharing his view on the changing international system. His comments were especially well-timed, given the conclusion of the 18th edition of the Bratislava Forum and the theme of overcoming global fragility. With so many active security situations influencing international politics, the perspective of a nation located in an ultra-competitive geopolitical environment yielded valuable insight for the audience in attendance.
On Europe
Minister Bayramov elaborated on the humanitarian support provided by Azerbaijan to Ukraine, and Baku’s commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity. He stressed the potential for future cooperation in the realm of energy security and supply chain vis-à-vis the EU.
On normalization with Armenia
The peace process with Armenia remains a work in progress but is cautiously trending in the right direction. The Minister emphasized the power of bilateral negotiations to establish peace and stability, and identified several areas for immediate cooperation once a peace agreement is finalized. He also shared his thanks to Slovakia for the smart village pilot project currently underway in the liberated areas and hoped its success would lead to future projects.
On clean Energy
Azerbaijan’s transition to more green energy is underway where studies have confirmed the vast untapped potential for the country. In addition to promoting this transition at home, the Minister reiterated plans of the Government of Azerbaijan to export clean energy to its international partners, notably the EU.