There is nothing better than peace: Ilham Aliyev shared a formula for conflict resolution at the Baku forum

The 13th Global Baku Forum "Bridging Divides in a World in Transition" was held at the "Gulustan" Palace under the patronage of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and with the organizational support of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center on March 12-14.

The Global Baku Forum has long acquired the status of an important strategic platform, as its sidelines host analysis of the most pressing issues, promote political dialogue, and take real steps to strengthen international partnership. It also makes a significant contribution to addressing contemporary challenges and developing global cooperation, the newspaper "Kaspi" writes.

The Baku Forum stands on par with leading international events of global scale in terms of the experience of its participants — presidents, prime ministers, speakers of parliaments, prominent public figures, diplomats, representatives of business circles, and civil society.

Issue number one

In his speech at the forum, the head of the Azerbaijani state declared that regional security has always been issue number one for Azerbaijan. "For us, peace and the restoration of our sovereignty have always been priority issues on our agenda," President Ilham Aliyev said, emphasizing that "we have been living in conditions of peace for effectively just seven months, and this once again demonstrates that one simply needs to show firm political will, courage, and commitment to the cause of peace and justice in order to achieve it." It took us 30 years to accomplish this.

The head of state shared with the forum participants his experience of how to achieve peace through force and then through political methods. Calling the speed of normalization of relations with Armenia unprecedented, Ilham Aliyev emphasized that "this was a choice made by two countries, and now, as I already said, we have been living in conditions of peace for seven months. And we see the advantages of this. I have repeatedly stated and will not stop repeating that there is nothing better than peace."

And although the peace agreement was initialed only seven months ago, we have achieved peace with Armenia not only on paper but also on the ground. Now calm prevails along our borders, and trade with Armenia has even begun — the export of petroleum products important for it. That is, our country demonstrates its commitment to peace — not long-term, but eternal.

Based on his experience, the President called the mediation mission of the OSCE Minsk Group a real disaster and advised all those who are at war to interact on a bilateral basis, without any third party.

Energy security

Another important issue highlighted by the President of Azerbaijan was energy security, which is currently disrupted to a certain extent. Azerbaijan, as a responsible member of the OPEC+ format, advocates for a balanced and predictable oil price, as this meets the expectations of both importers and exporters. Especially considering the fact that Azerbaijan produces and exports all types of energy resources — oil, gas, petroleum products, petrochemical products, and electricity.

"We plan to increase our exports, especially exports of natural gas and electricity, due to market demand and the expansion of the geography of supplies," the head of state said in his speech, emphasizing that in terms of the geographical coverage of countries, Azerbaijan is the world leader in pipeline natural gas exports.

As Ilham Aliyev emphasized, export volumes are growing and will continue to grow, and this is an important factor of energy security for many countries.

Transport connectivity

Touching on the issue of transport connectivity, Ilham Aliyev said that the disruption of transport links and routes creates a very difficult situation for a large part of the international community. That is why Azerbaijan has invested a significant portion of the revenues earned from the sale of fossil fuels in transport and logistics infrastructure.

As a result, we are the only country that actively participates in and invests in both the Middle Corridor and the North-West corridor. By the way, on the territory of Azerbaijan, construction projects for both corridors have been fully completed. That is, we provide vital transit for many countries located to the East and West of Azerbaijan. And after achieving peace with Armenia, work is underway on a new expansion of the Middle Corridor, which will pass through its territory. Thus, Armenia will become a transit country for the first time in its history of independence. For Azerbaijan, this will create an opportunity to connect its mainland with Nakhchivan.

Key aspects of the forum's significance

The 13th Global Baku Forum once again served as a relevant platform for dialogue, especially given the deep fragmentation of the existing world order and the intensification of geopolitical tensions. It is no coincidence that the main theme of the event was "Bridging Divides in a World in Transition."

It is also of interest from the perspective of searching for a new security architecture. That is, in conditions where the international system is in a phase of uncertainty, the forum served as a platform for discussing ways to restore trust in multilateral institutions and prevent the escalation of conflicts.

The sessions within the framework of the 13th Global Baku Forum were devoted to examining how the existing fragmented global picture manifests itself in various spheres — military power, economic coercion, energy dependence, technological capabilities, control over information, and strategic supply routes. One of the central themes was the discussion of mobilizing capital for the climate transition and reforming the global financial system.

The successful discussion of these critically important issues was facilitated by the unique composition of participants — from current and former heads of state and government to leaders of international organizations such as the UN and WHO.

The forum also contributed to the demonstration of peacebuilding experience. Thus, President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the success of direct bilateral dialogue as an effective model for conflict resolution without the involvement of biased mediators.

Holding the forum in Baku underscored Azerbaijan's regional leadership, confirmed the status of our capital as a strategic center of international cooperation and a bridge between global poles of power.