Azerbaijani FM Highlights Regional Leadership and EU Partnership at European Conference in Vienna
Vienna, The Gulf Observer: Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeyhun Bayramov, participated in and delivered remarks at the high-level dialogue of the 4th European Conference on Azerbaijan Studies, held in Vienna, media reports said.
The annual event, launched in 2022, brought together policymakers, think tanks, academics, and independent experts from 12 European countries to discuss regional developments and Azerbaijan’s evolving role in the South Caucasus.
In his address, Minister Bayramov described the conference as a reflection of the growing interest in Azerbaijan, its foreign policy priorities, and its strategic significance in the region. He outlined key diplomatic initiatives advanced by President Ilham Aliyev in recent years, emphasizing their regional and international impact.
Bayramov briefed participants on ongoing normalization efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the outcomes of the Washington Summit held on August 8, and Azerbaijan’s effective chairmanship of major multilateral platforms, including COP29, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). These achievements, he said, underscore Azerbaijan’s leadership role in regional affairs.
Highlighting that Azerbaijan, as the victorious side in the 44-day Patriotic War, extended a peace proposal to Armenia, the Minister said the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group and its affiliated structures—after more than three decades of unproductive engagement—resulted from President Aliyev’s strategic vision and represented a significant step toward lasting peace in the region.
Bayramov also provided an overview of Azerbaijan’s relations with major global partners, including the United States, China, Russia, and the European Union, as well as its ties with neighboring countries.
On cooperation with the European Union, he stressed that Azerbaijan remains a strategic and reliable energy partner for Europe, including in the sphere of renewable energy. He also highlighted the expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan and Central Asian states, noting its crucial role in advancing the Middle Corridor. Europe, he added, attaches particular importance to its partnership with Azerbaijan in this context.
Concluding his remarks, Minister Bayramov emphasized that Azerbaijan’s international partnerships are built on principles of independence, equality, and sovereign interests, noting that relations with Europe continue to progress along these lines.
