„Hungary and Azerbaijan join their efforts” – Interview with the foreign minister of Azerbaijan

Over the last several years, Azerbaijani officials have frequently visited EU member states, and many European politicians visit Azerbaijan as well. If we turn to statistics, then among all of these EU countries, Hungary is probably number one. Why is our country so special for you?

Nowadays we can characterize our relations as very close, mutually respectful and beneficial. Azerbaijan is developing friendly relations with many countries, because we are implementing an active foreign policy. You are absolutely right that Hungary is among the countries with whom we have a very good and widening cooperation. Back in 2014, the two countries signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership, and earlier this year, a document of enhanced strategic partnership between our countries was signed by Azerbaijani President İlham Əliyev and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Yesterday, we had the chance to conduct the first strategic dialogue based on the newly assigned joint declaration between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs. If you look at the protocol of this first strategic dialogue, you will see that our relations nowadays cover a whole range of issues, starting from bilateral political affairs and ending with a very good cooperation on multilateral economic affairs. 

What can you tell us about your negotiations with our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Péter Szijjártó? 

My talks, my discussions with Minister Szijjártó were very constructive, as always. He travels frequently to Azerbaijan himself; this year, he already visited our country three times. 

I’m visiting Hungary for the third time this year. By the invitation of my esteemed colleague, I have participated in the conference of the Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Budapest; it was very interesting and productive to address top Hungarian diplomats and to respond to their questions. 

There are many things that tie together Hungary and Azerbaijan; energy, both fossil and green, is one of those ties. Joint projects that Baku and Budapest have accomplished to date are really impressive. My next question is on the new horizons in the field of energy security of the European Union in general and Hungary in particular. What are the further prospects and strategic goals that could be set by the two countries? 

We have many dimensions in the cooperation between our countries, and the key one is the energy sector. When we talk about oil production and oil supply to the world markets, it is important to note that we have Hungarian presence in Azerbaijan. The Hungarian multinational oil and gas company MOL Group holds 9.57% in Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli, the largest oil field in our country. Again, MOL holds 8.9% in the main pipeline which supplies Azerbaijani crude oil to the world market. Since the end of 2020, with the completion of the second stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project, Azerbaijan became not only a crude oil supplier, but also a gas supplier to Europe; this was the first time gas from Caspian Sea reached the European market. Based on the original contract, the supply was envisioned to go to the Italian, Greek, and Bulgarian markets. However, right after the start of the process, a number of other European countries showed interest in obtaining Azerbaijani gas; our very friendly and strategic partner Hungary was among these countries. Of course, for us it was a matter of principle to also meet the needs of our Hungarian friends, and we’re very happy to do so. Last week, during my visit to Hungary, the first Azerbaijani gas already started to flow to Hungary as an expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor project. We have plans to increase this supply, and both sides are working very hard in order to achieve this. As mentioned, there are many more countries that are also willing to get additional gas supply from the Caspian Sea. Once the gas companies from Azerbaijan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia signed the agreement called the Solidarity Ring, by which they will be using the internal interconnectors among the European countries to supply each other with gas, it will also provide additional opportunities to distribute the gas from Southern Gas Corridor. So actually, the plans are quite significant. European partners are expecting to get 20 BCM (billion cubic meters – the editor.) of gas supply from Azerbaijan by 2027, and I can tell you that this is realistic; during the first year, we managed to supply a bit more than eight BCM, last year it was 11.4 BCM, and this year it will be no less than 12.5 BCM of gas supply only to the European market. 

What about the supply of green electricity to the Europe? 

We have big plans regarding this. There was an MOU signed between Azerbaijan and the European Union Commission President in July 2022. As part of the implementation of this MOU in December 2022, a quadrilateral agreement was signed between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, and Romania about the production of green electricity from alternative energy sources, as well as the construction of an undersea cable, which should pass underneath the Black Sea and supply green energy using these electricity transmission lines to the European market. And again, the first European countries who signed this agreement were Romania and Hungary. This is also the new area for development in Azerbaijan. We consider the increase of the production of alternative energy a new booster for our economy. 

We were mainly talking about the energy sector, but what other types of cooperation have prospects between our two countries?

Of course, the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Hungary is much broader. There are many successful areas; Wizz Air, for instance, is one of the main players in Azerbaijan, which is beneficial for our tourism. We also have outstanding relations in the area of construction. A construction project for a smart village in Soltanlı, which is located in the liberated territory, has recently been approved; the concept and model of this project was prepared by Hungarian specialists. We have plans to expand our cooperation in the area of production of pharmaceuticals and special aluminium products; this is a multi-million-dollar project, which is going to be implemented in an eclectic economic zone. And of course, our plans also include the cooperation in the military industry, which is very developed and is still developing in Hungary and in Azerbaijan. We believe that it might be mutually beneficial to join our efforts.

It’s clear that our countries are connected through energy and trade, but our common historical roots and cultural background is yet another area that keeps our nations close to each other. What are the new prospects within the Organization of Turkic States that could bring Hungary and other regions closer to each other.

As we both know, Hungary obtained an observer status in the Organization of Turkic States in 2018, and from day one, Hungary was very active in this organization. In 2019, Hungary already set up The Office of Organization of Turkic States here in Budapest, and I believe that your country also added significant colors from this part of the world to the organization, and such an active involvement of Hungary is highly appreciated among all member states. I believe that this collaboration of the Turkic states adds value to all other layers of cooperation between our countries. So our historical, cultural similarities are extremely important, as are the mutual sentiments we have toward each other and the sympathy of our people. I would also like to mention the agreement which was signed between the cultural capital of the Turkic world for 2023, the Azerbaijani city of Susa, and cultural capital of Europe for 2023, the city of Veszprém. 

This year in Dushanbe you stated that Azerbaijan is ready to normalize its relationship with Armenia, and maybe even sign a peace treaty. Yet on the first of September, there were border clashes between the two countries’ soldiers. Is the situation escalating? 

Since the end of our 44 day patriotic war – when Azerbaijan liberated its territories – we aimed to establish normal neighborly relations with Armenia. I know that you have also visited Karabakh region, and you saw with your own eyes the 30 years of destruction, the full devastation of cities and more than 300 villages. Two months after the end of the war, our President made a public statement, announcing that Azerbaijan is ready to turn the page of history and start a new chapter with Armenia. In February 2022, Azerbaijan defined the basic principles for a future Peace Agreement in a public document. In October, we drafted the first Peace Agreement and submitted it to Armenia during the first round of negotiations in Geneva. So, the aim of Azerbaijan is to put an end to the hostility and to establish normal neighborly relations between the two countries based on the principles of international law, respecting each other’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and the inviolability of borders. It took two and a half years for the Armenian Prime Minister to openly acknowledge – at least verbally – Azerbaijan’s territorial sovereignty, including Karabakh. Now, this is the time to support the words by the real deeds and to have a draft agreement finalized and ready for use.  

If peace is what both sides desire, what is hindering the finalization of the peace agreement? 

Unfortunately, we see inconsistency in the position of Armenia and their statements are not supported by real actions. And probably the worst part of the story is that on top of some political provocations which we encounter from time to time, we also face military provocations on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Another source of serious concern and tension in the region is the illegal presence of around 10,000 illegal Armenian military forces on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, which is a violation of the Trilateral Statement signed on 10 November 2020. In this Statement, there is a clause which clearly states that in parallel with the deployment of Russian peacekeepers, all Armenian military forces should be withdrawn from the region. Unfortunately, almost three years passed since the signing of declaration and these illegal military forces are still there. This is one of the most serious issues poisoning the situation, but we believe that the agenda of peace talks, peace negotiations should be continued.

The area controlled by Armenian soldiers in Karabakh is connected with Armenia proper through the Lachin corridor. In the international press, we can read a lot about a humanitarian crisis developing in the region, because – as they write – Azerbaijan is not letting in any supplies through the corridor for the Armenians residing there. 

First of all, I want to make it clear that this is a PR campaign, which now is widely spread by Armenia and some of the supporters of Armenia. This is not a humanitarian issue; this is purely political manipulation. At the moment the Lachin road is used by ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross – the editor.) on a daily basis, and dozens of local Armenians use the Lachin checkpoint in both directions (at the moment for medical evacuation). And at the same time, these cars, these ICRC convoys also bring medical staff and medical supply for the needs of popular media. Azerbaijan is proposing the use of alternative routes for international humanitarian organizations to bring all the humanitarian assistance which local Armenians need. 

So, there is no humanitarian crisis at hand? 

If it were a humanitarian issue, it would have been resolved a long time ago by the use of both ways from Xankəndi to Aghdam or Şusa. But for the almost three years, the deliberate position of some local Armenian representatives is to block anything which directly or indirectly might be viewed as first steps towards the integration of the local areas into Azerbaijan in economic, social and political terms. There is no other explanation. We have many, let’s say, talks and discussions with the ICRC office in Baku. They have all the necessary conditions, premises, big warehouses in Barda, which is very close to Xankəndi, and from a logistical point of view, it is much closer than the Lachin corridor. And again, the representative of local armies put concrete logs to the road in order to prevent the access of international humanitarian organizations. So, our position is that this situation should not be politicized. When you say that international humanitarian organizations can use only specific roads and no others, then you politicize the situation. I believe that this is not in the interest of Azerbaijan nor Armenia nor the local Armenian population living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. We made it clear a number of times that we consider the local residents living in this territory as equal citizens of our country. All the national minorities are provided with the necessary rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan. There were several agreements around the parallel use of both roads, but at the very last moment they were breached by the Armenian side. We are hopeful that the rational approach and behavior will prevail.  

Our neighboring country is Ukraine and your neighboring country is Russia, therefore I have to ask you what is the Azerbaijani standpoint regarding the war between Ukraine and Russia? From your point of view, is there any hope of resolving it in the near future? 

We were very clear and vocal on this topic from the first days of the war, because this situation is extremely concerning for us. We stand for the soonest end of this war, based on the norms and principles of international law. We have lots of ties with both countries; we do not only have historical relations, we also have a lot of Azerbaijani people living in both in the Russian Federation and in Ukraine. From the very beginning of this conflict, we are providing significant humanitarian assistance to Ukraine because we have a friendly and close relation with the country. One of the principles of our foreign policy is that when our friends are in need, we always try to support them in order to mitigate their shortages.

The role of the Middle Corridor which connects the West and the East (from China to Azerbaijan, and beyond) is getting more significant in the light of the war between Russia and Ukraine. However, one of the missing links in this long multi-modal land and sea transport route is the Zangezur corridor (which would connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan through Armenian territory). What needs to be done in order to fill this missing gap?

All the geopolitical changes which we observe in the wider region significantly increased the need for the Middle Corridor; as a result of the war in Ukraine, we see the growing demand from the European countries for the resources of Central Asia and countries further to the East. Last year, we increased the transit capacity of our country by 70% because of this growing demand. We believe that when we talk about the post-conflict normalization, the economic ties, transportation and communication areas are important elements, and this would be mutually beneficial for the regional countries.  We see that there is good progress and we even have a feeling that everything is very close to being finalized, but every time on the final stage, we see some new pretext from the Armenian side, which actually makes the final resolution of the situation impossible. We believe that this is of course a very unbeneficial approach. This is also violation of the agreement, which requires Armenia to provide unimpeded access from the Western borders of Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. I think this nonconstructive approach is also very damaging for the interest of Armenia itself, as from the logistical transportation point of view today Armenia is in the worst situation out of all regional countries. If this project bypasses Armenia I think it will be another lost opportunity for their economy and people. So, of course, Azerbaijan is working on a Plan B, but I think that we will find the solution to implement this project even without Armenia’s involvement.