Azerbaijan hails Türkiye as 'most significant positive player' in Caucasus

Azerbaijan's top diplomat in Washington has identified Türkiye as the primary stabilizing influence in the South Caucasus region, praising Ankara's consistent diplomatic approach spanning more than three decades. Ambassador Khazar Ibrahim, speaking at the Hudson Institute on Wednesday, emphasized Türkiye's constructive regional role during a panel discussion examining recent diplomatic breakthroughs.

Three Decades of Regional Stewardship

"Türkiye, and not only during this historic moment, but for the last 30-plus years, I would say, was probably the most significant positive player in the region," Ambassador Ibrahim stated. He characterized Türkiye's approach as consistently constructive, noting that "Türkiye never threatened anybody in the region. Türkiye always extended the hand," highlighting Ankara's commitment to peaceful engagement with all regional actors.

Erdogan's Diplomatic Leadership

The Azerbaijani envoy specifically highlighted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's active diplomatic schedule as instrumental in advancing regional peace. Ibrahim pointed to Erdogan's meetings with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, engagements with Central Asian leaders, and global diplomatic presence as factors that "cannot be ignored" in understanding the context behind the recent Azerbaijan-Armenia peace declaration signed at the White House in August.

Trilateral Cooperation and Economic Integration

Ambassador Ibrahim also underscored the importance of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye partnership in strengthening regional stability and economic connectivity. He noted that "Turkish involvement was critical" for developing energy transportation and transit routes, which helped forge "real strong" bonds between Baku and Tbilisi. With recent progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization, the ambassador expressed optimism about deepening cooperation among the three neighboring nations moving forward.