Elin Suleymanov: If US does not have a committed, strong, unequivocal position, territorial integrity violations are bound to repeat themselves

[ 14 April 2015 13:05 ]

Baku. Malahat Najafova – APA. “We welcome the U.S.-led deal over Tehran’s nuclear program. And we hope the framework will bring down the tension in the region,” said Elin Suleymanov, the Azerbaijani ambassador to the U.S., in an interview with The Daily Signal.

According to the ambassador, being a neighbor of Iran and having a very long border, Azerbaijan of course is very interested in normalization of relations in the region.

“We are very concerned about potential instability. We don’t want to see any more military activity in the region. Iran is a major player in the region. Whatever happens to Iran affects us just like it affects the whole region. And don’t forget there is a significant number of ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran who are citizens of Iran,” he noted.

As for the possibility of a military solution to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, the ambassador said there is no alternative to diplomacy, adding that any military engagement would be extremely detrimental for everybody involved.

E. Suleymanov also said that Azerbaijan is a partner with the U.S. in counterterrorism.

“We are a strong defense partner. The long-term commitments and relationships to allies in the region is the most important thing here. We are one of few countries committed to post 2014 Afghanistan. We provide civilian training for their police, customs and civil service. Forty percent of NATO military goods come through Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has done its share. We have felt strong support of the U.S. for years. But in some recent years, we have seen some detachment of the U.S. from the region, though it is getting somewhat better. I keep saying if you have strong strategic vision for the region, and the U.S. as a superpower should, then all these bad things don’t pop up.” the ambassador stressed.

With regard to the conflict in Ukraine, E. Suleymanov said that the case of Ukraine territorial integrity is not the first case of a former soviet state being violated.

“The first one was Azerbaijan– in 1991 the Republic of Armenia, our neighbor, violated Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. I feel that if the U.S. does not have a committed, strong, unequivocal position on territorial integrity and state sovereignty, those things are bound to repeat themselves. The U.S. talks about sanctions on Russia for a violation of territorial integrity of Ukraine, but the U.S. does not impose sanctions on Armenia for violating territorial integrity. They actually encourage it. Armenia is one of largest per capita recipients of U.S. aid. I feel like my territorial integrity is less than somebody else’s. Let’s treat everybody equally,” the ambassador noted.