An article dedicated to Azerbaijan has been published in the influential journal "The National Interest", which is published in the USA.
Modern.az reports that the journal writes that Azerbaijan has a unique strategic position in the South Caucasus and creates important opportunities for Washington in terms of trade, energy security, and regional balancing.
Joseph Epstein, the author of the article titled "The Caspian Sea is Open to the US", emphasizes that Baku controls the main part of the Middle Corridor, which is the only land route connecting Europe and Asia by bypassing Russia and Iran.
The article notes that the stable transit route formed through Azerbaijan not only opens new opportunities for Central Asia but also creates an alternative to China's control over rare earth elements. According to the author, any reliable trade route that excludes Russia, China, and Iran must necessarily pass through Azerbaijan, which turns Baku into a key entry point and a leading actor in the region.
The article emphasizes the importance of evaluating Azerbaijan as a real and immediately impactful strategic opportunity for the US. It is stated that Baku supplies natural gas to Europe, has contributed to reducing tensions between Israel and Turkey, and plays the role of a bridge to Central Asia, which the US considers a priority in its search for alternative rare earth elements to China.
The article also notes that this year Washington replaced Russia as the main mediator in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks, and this process culminated in a peace summit held on August 8, referred to as the "Washington Declaration" in political circles. The publication assesses this as one of the most significant foreign policy achievements of the US in the South Caucasus and emphasizes that the summit created concrete commitments on sensitive issues hindering normalization.
The article also specifically highlights Azerbaijan's leading role within the Organization of Turkic States and its representation in a consultative format with Central Asia. The author evaluates the expansion of the traditional C5 format to C6 as the formation of a unified regional vision and suggests that Washington consider the C6+2 concept, a platform that includes Israel alongside Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries. In his opinion, this format could strengthen coordination in infrastructure, cybersecurity, water resource management, and the security of transport corridors, and increase US influence in a region where Russia and China have dominated for many years.
At the end of the article, the author states that it is time to repeal the 907th amendment, which was adopted by the US Congress and imposes restrictions against Azerbaijan, and calls on Washington to view Baku not as a peripheral partner but as an established key regional state. The article emphasizes that such strategic windows of opportunity do not remain open for long.
Elnur Amirov
