BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24. Azerbaijan has
further strengthened its position as a middle power thanks to its
political, military, and economic successes in recent years, the
Chairman of the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR
Center), Farid Shafiyev, said at the conference under the theme
"Azerbaijan as a middle power: foreign policy, regional influence
and global participation", Trend's correspondent reports from the event.
According to him, this status indicates that the country's
influence is growing not only in the region, but also in a wider
geography.
"We can say with complete confidence that Azerbaijan is
implementing not only domestic projects, but also various projects
in the region, Eastern and Southern Europe, the Middle East, and
Central Asia. In other words, Azerbaijan's potential manifests
itself beyond the South Caucasus.
The concept of a middle power combines military power, economic
capabilities, diplomatic influence, soft power, and other factors.
The full restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity in 2020
and 2023 has created conditions for a clearer confirmation of this
status. Today, Azerbaijan is implementing various initiatives and
projects not only within the country, but also outside the region.
This shows that the country's potential goes beyond the borders of
the South Caucasus," he noted.
The AIR Center's chairman added that the main purpose of the
conference is to discuss the growing role of Azerbaijan in the
international system, present the results of research conducted in
this direction, and exchange views on new proposals.
The event has brought together representatives of government
agencies, think tanks, higher education institutions, and other
academic institutions, parliamentarians, experts, young
researchers, and media representatives.
