Azerbaijan-Bulgaria strategic relations

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Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan-Bulgaria strategic relations

Ismayilov Mehdi Nazim,

PhD student

Annotation

Mutual relations between the South Caucasus and the Southeast Europe have been steadily developing, especially in the areas of security and energy. The relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, as a country of the Eastern Balkans, have rich history. However, in the 1990s and 2000s, the relationship upsurged to the level of strategic partnership. Increasing the role of the Caspian Sea in ensuring energy security of European countries has also increased the importance of Azerbaijan, which has become a major initiator of strategically important projects with oil and gas fields. Azerbaijan was trying to use the territory of the Eastern Balkans to transport its hydrocarbon resources to Europe. The implementation of these interests required the development of political relations and dialogue with Bulgaria.

Keywords: strategic partnership, conflict, energy cooperation, political relations.

Анотація

azerbaijan bulgaria relations europe

Взаємини між Південним Кавказом та Південно-Східною Європою неухильно розвиваються, особливо в області безпеки і енергетики. Відносини між Азербайджаном і Болгарією, як країною східних Балкан, мають багату історію. Однак в 1990-х і 2000-х роках відносини зросли до рівня стратегічного партнерства. Підвищення ролі Каспійського моря в забезпеченні енергетичної безпеки європейських країн також підвищило значення Азербайджану, який став основним ініціатором стратегічно важливих проектів з нафтовими і газовими родовищами. Азербайджан намагався використовувати територію Східних Балкан для транспортування своїх вуглеводневих ресурсів до Європи. Реалізація цих інтересів зажадала розвитку політичних відносин і діалогу з Болгарією.

Ключові слова: стратегічне партнерство, конфлікт, енергетична співпраця, політичні відносини

(стаття друкується мовою оригіналу)

Introduction

The impacts of positive or negative processes in one region on another region during the globalization process has also reflected in the relationship between the South Caucasus and the Southeast European region. In particular, processes in security and energy sectors provoke the countries of the two regions to cooperate. Bulgaria is one of the Eastern Balkan states in close relations with Azerbaijan. Relations between Bulgaria, as a Southeast Balkan state and Azerbaijan have a rich history and these relationships cover culture, art, science and other areas. The poems of the prominent Azerbaijani poet, Nizami Ganjavi were translated and published in Bulgarian language in the 19th century and at the same time, the works of the classics of Bulgarian literature - Ivan Vazov, Hristo Botev, Emilian Stanev and many others were read and loved in Azerbaijan [14].

Establishment and development of mutual relations

Bulgaria recognized the state independence of Azerbaijan on January 14, 1992. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on June 5, 1992 [1].

Azerbaijan focused on strengthening its relations with Eastern European countries as one of the main directions of its foreign policy. The first official visit of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev was to Bulgaria on June 29-30, 1995. During the visit, the President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev touched upon the history of Azerbaijan-Bulgaria relations, discussed the general bases and perspectives of bilateral relations and narrated on the consequences of the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan. The Bulgarian President defended Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and peace policy [21, Part II, p. 144].

In his speech at the Bulgarian People's Assembly, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan put into the picture the domestic and foreign policy of Azerbaijan by remarking the importance of Bulgaria's participation in discussion of the country's reforms and issues regarding occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas as a result of Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, organization of the OSCE peacekeeping forces [17, IV book, pp. 31-32]. At the end of the visit, a 26-item treaty on friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria was signed. The treaty envisages promoting relations on the basis of territorial integrity of the states, inviolability of borders, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference in internal affairs, and the restriction of arms and armed forces in Europe. According to the agreement, the parties undertake to create the essential conditions for the study, preservation and development of the language, religion and cultural freedom of the Azerbaijanis living in Bulgaria and the Bulgarians living in Azerbaijan, to develop economic relations and to cooperate within international organizations [21, Part II p. 145].

This visit provided a robust political and legal foundation for further development of relations.

The new stage in relations was laid on December 2-3, 1999, with the first official visit of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Petr Stoyanov to the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the meetings between the two presidents, the head of state, Heydar Aliyev highly evaluated Bulgaria's integration into the European Union and declared that Azerbaijan was moving in this direction [Book 17, XXIII book, pp. 143-148]. “Bulgaria is located in Eastern Europe, Azerbaijan is also a European country and is the farthest in Europe. We are very close to each other, and therefore our cooperation in the European area will undoubtedly be of great importance both for Azerbaijan and for Bulgaria” [3].

It should be noted that on the eve of the Bulgarian President's visit to Azerbaijan, in December 1999, the Bulgarian Embassy in Azerbaijan began to function.

During the visit of Peter Stoyanov to Azerbaijan on December 2, 1999 a joint declaration was signed between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. In the declaration, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to democratic reform, respecting and protection of human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, and the fulfillment of all obligations arising from the fundamental documents of the United Nations and the OSCE and declared their determination in the construction of legal democratic statehood. The parties will promote development of political dialogue at various levels, including inter-parliamentary relations, and will hold consultations on bilateral and international issues. Both countries emphasized the need for continuation of the processes aimed at promoting lasting peace, unity and co-operation with the countries in the South Caucasus region, the importance of peaceful resolution of conflicts and the prevention of creation of new trouble areas. The parties remarked the importance of the documents adopted at the OSCE Istanbul Summit to promote security and stability in Europe in the 21st century. In this context, they reaffirmed their support for a strong and comprehensive political resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with paragraph 20 of the OSCE Istanbul Summit Declaration dated of November 19, 1999 [5].

With the development of diplomatic and political relations, the establishment of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Bulgaria has become a necessity. The law on establishment of the embassy of Azerbaijan in Bulgaria was signed on April 16, 2004 [9]. The President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree regarding appointment of Emil Zeynalov, as Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Republic of Bulgaria on February 3, 2005 [6].

Thus, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established at the initial stage, the embassies began to operate in both countries, the strategic directions of the foreign policies of Bulgaria and Azerbaijan were determined, and the decision was made to deepen joint cooperation on the basis of common interests.

Deepening of political relations with Bulgaria

Political relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria began to develop at a new stage following the coming of President Ilham Aliyev to power in 2003. On October 7-8, 2004 the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov hold an official visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan. During his meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the two countries expressed their intention to further develop the existing ties. During the Bulgarian President's visit, the parties signed a joint declaration, new agreements in the field of health, economy and transport [2].

During the visit, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev and the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Georgi Parvanov signed the Joint Statement on October 7, 2004. According to the declaration, both sides considered improvement of the legislative base, signing of agreements on cooperation in the field of culture, science, education, social insurance and interaction of citizens. The document highlights efficiency of improvement of bilateral and multilateral actions against international terrorism, trafficking in weapons of mass destruction, illicit trafficking of drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, transnational organized crime, human and arms trafficking. The Azerbaijani side highly appreciated the negotiations for the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to NATO and the European Union. The President of the Republic of Bulgaria reaffirmed his willingness to share the experiences of Bulgaria and its state institutions in the process of preparation of Azerbaijan for broad integration into European and Euro-Atlantic organizations. As the members of OSCE, the parties welcomed the acceleration of the negotiation process for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairs to resolve the conflict [10].

The first official visit of President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev to Bulgaria was on September 23-24, 2005. At a one-on-one meeting between the presidents of the two countries, President Ilham Aliyev said there were potential opportunities for cooperation, including high- level economic relations with Bulgaria at the regional and international levels. Touching upon the Armenian- Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Bulgarian President said that they would continue to support Azerbaijan's fair position. During the visit, the Governments of the two countries signed a Memorandum on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, an Agreement on Simplified Visa, a Memorandum of Understanding on deepening customs cooperation, as well as training and professional development of the staff [2].

The President of Azerbaijan stated that the signed document on Euro-Atlantic integration was of great importance, that both countries play an important role in ensuring peace and security in various parts of the world and that political interests overlap [23].

One of the most important documents signed during the visit on September 23, 2005 was the Joint Declaration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the President of the Republic of Bulgaria. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the President of Bulgaria stated in the Declaration the importance of intensifying of cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries, cooperation against transnational threats and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and its transportation, positive impact of the European Neighborhood Policy's on the approach of Azerbaijan, including the South Caucasus countries to EU. They have expressed their willingness to promote this initiative for the preservation of peace and stability, as well as the development of regional states, and to promote joint activities in this area. The document highlights the importance of peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region based on the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, joint activities under the NATO Partnership for Peace and Action Plan on private cooperation presented by Azerbaijan and states the importance of taking additional measures to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the OSCE's Minsk Group and by its co-chairs [11].

One of the important documents signed between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria on September 23, 2005 was the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. In the Memorandum, the parties emphasized their support for the integration of the Republic of Azerbaijan into the Euro-Atlantic structures, emphasizing their continued co-operation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the enhancement of the OSCE's role in peaceful resolution of conflicts in the South Caucasus. They will cooperate in strengthening of the institutional structure of European integration, namely the implementation of the law, as well as training of civil servants and ensuring their skills development program, enlightening the general public about the EU process and European integration and cooperate in the field of public awareness through joint consultations, conferences, initiatives and other activities [8].

The Bulgarian-Azerbaijani relations also developed at the intergovernmental level. On November 1213, 2007 the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria S. Stanishev paid an official visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan. The President Ilham Aliyev noted that the partnership between our countries within a number of international organizations, including the European Union, had been developing dynamically, and Bulgaria had always felt the support of the New Neighborhood Policy. Touching upon the mutual visits of the heads of state, the Bulgarian Prime Minister stressed the importance of these visits in the development of political relations, noting the importance of further strengthening of economic cooperation [18, 27 book, p. 198].

Meetings between the heads of state were held not only during official visits, but also on the basis of business relations. On March 10-12, 2008 President of the Republic of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov paid a working visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan. At a meeting with Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, the President Ilham Aliyev said the mutual relations were developing on a bilateral and multilateral basis, and supported Bulgaria's implementation of special programs in cooperation with the European Union and NATO. The President Ilham Aliyev stressed the need for the EU to continue its efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: “A clear and clear message must be sent to the occupied state that, Nagorno-Karabakh will never be independent and no country will recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh” [13, 2008. Part Two, p. 104].

The Bulgarian President said that in the Balkans they still did not recognize Kosovo as an independent state, the position declared by the European Union was a special case and that it could not be a precedent for other conflicts. He stressed the importance of the Kosovo problem not only in terms of self-determination, but also in terms of regional security [13, 2008. Part Two, pp. 104-107].

Inter-parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, cooperation in the legislation sphere and exchange of experience were at a high level. On September 27-30, 2004, Chairman of the Milli Mejlis, M. Alasgarov visited Bulgaria, and on November 2425, 2006, Chairman of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, G.Pirinski visited Azerbaijan, on May 19-21, 2008 official visits of the speaker O. Asa- dov visited to Bulgaria and Chairman of the Bulgarian Parliament Mrs. Tschacheva visited the Republic of Azerbaijan on May 13-15 and November 27-28, 2012 and all these visits served as high indicator of relations in this area [1].

On January 22, 2009, President of the Republic of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov paid one more working visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan. During the meetings, the parties discussed the issues of economic, political and cultural relations between the two countries, as well as the successful development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria in political, economic, humanitarian and other areas [22].

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev paid a working visit to the Republic of Bulgaria on November 13, 2009. During the meeting between the heads of state it was noted that cooperation with Bulgaria was an active factor in deepening and strengthening cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union. Economic, trade and energy relations between the two countries were discussed [18, XXXVIII book, pp. 298-304].

President of the Republic of Bulgaria Georgi Par- vanov paid a working visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan on June 30 - July 1, 2010. At a meeting between the presidents of the two countries on June 30, the Bulgarian President said that these relations were achieved by practical steps in a bilateral way. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev said that the high level of political relations will give impetus to the development of relations in other areas as well as there was a great potential for the energy relations. President Ilham Aliyev said the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on the Armenian- Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was regarded as a very positive event in Azerbaijan and said that the document was very fair and fully disclosed the essence of the conflict and contained specific proposals for the withdrawal of occupying forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. The Bulgarian President stressed that they support the fair settlement of the Ar- menian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and that the resolution of such conflicts will contribute to the successful development of the entire South Caucasus region [18, XLI book, pp. 185-191].

During the years of investigation, mutual cooperation had been developing, mutual trust and confidence in the relationship had flourished. On November 1415, 2011 President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Georgi Parvanov paid an official visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the meeting between the heads of state, the President Ilham Aliyev said that relations with Bulgaria played an important role in the development of relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union and the Euro-Atlantic structures, also in the development of regional cooperation in the Caspian Sea. The parties discussed the issues of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. The Bulgarian President mentioned that granting preferential partner status to Azerbaijan in European institutions and EU member states would be beneficial. Because it was such a framework that not only dialogue in the field of energy security but also in the field of transport, economy and security would be possible in a broadest sense.

During the visit, President Ilham Aliyev awarded the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanova with the “Heydar Aliyev” order. President Georgi Parvanov also presented the country's highest award - the Order of Stara Planina to the President, Ilham Aliyev [18, 48 book, p. 289].

On April 27, 2012, the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria signed an agreement on cooperation in the fight against crime [12].

On September 19-20, 2014, President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev paid a working visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Southern Gas Corridor. During the visit a joint declaration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the President of the Republic of Bulgaria was signed on September 19, 2014.

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev paid an official visit to Bulgaria on March 3-5, 2015. The main topics discussed during President Ilham Aliyev's meeting with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria were energy projects, participation of Bulgarian companies in transport and infrastructure projects in Azerbaijan and opportunities for Azerbaijani companies to invest in Bulgaria.

On March 4, 2015, the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Bulgaria was signed. The Declaration emphasizes that the parties declared the importance of joint contributing to the development of effective response to threats in international peace and security, and joining into strategic partnerships to strengthen their long-term cooperation and to enhance their relationship to new areas. The strategic partnership envisages the establishment of a Strategic Dialogue held in Azerbaijan and Bulgaria on an annual basis, co-chaired by foreign affairs ministers or authorized deputy ministers in the political sphere [7]. The document establishes strategic partnerships between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria in the areas of economic, trade, defense and security, science, education and culture.

On May 5, 2017, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Io- tova. At the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev said that Mrs. Iliana Iotova's first visit to Azerbaijan was an indication of the close relationship between the two countries. Emphasizing the wide range of bilateral relations, including political, energy and cultural spheres, the President Ilham Aliyev mentioned that the active participation of First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva in the Veliko Tirnovo cultural project contributed to the closer rapprochement of our countries [19].

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev paid an official visit to Azerbaijan on October 13, 2017. During the meeting between the heads of state, it was noted that bilateral political relations were developing towards strategic partnership. President Ilham Aliyev appreciated Bulgaria's presence in the Southern Gas Corridor, with financial capacity of $ 40 billion and connecting 7 countries and establishment of strategic partnership relations in this area [15]. Stressing the importance of relations with the European Union in Azerbaijan's foreign policy, the President Ilham Aliyev said that a new partnership agreement was under processing with the union, and expressed his assurance in strengthening of the relations with Bulgaria for the period of Bulgarian presidency in the EU since January 2018 [14].

During the meeting between the presidents, the importance of economic, investment cooperation, transportation, and the creation of a transport corridor along with the political sphere were emphasized [4].

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov paid a working visit to Azerbaijan on January 15, 2018. During the extended meeting, the parties exchanged views on political, economic and energy cooperation [20]. The exchange of views among government officials, their common position and interests signifies a high potential for bilateral relations.

In general, Azerbaijan's relations with Bulgaria are developing on the basis of strategic partnership. Azerbaijan intends to benefit from the experience of this country being a member to NATO and the European Union. Increasing the role of the Caspian Sea in ensuring energy security of European countries has also increased the importance of Azerbaijan, which has become a major initiator of strategically important projects with oil and gas fields. Azerbaijan was trying to use the territory of the Eastern Balkans to transport its hydrocarbon resources to Europe. The implementation of these interests required the development of political relations and dialogue.

Along with successful development of relations with Bulgaria at the interstate, intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary levels, personal relations of heads of both states have been exemplary. Bulgaria participates in Azerbaijan's strategic projects and Azerbaijan has elevated its relations with Bulgaria to the level of a strategic partner country.

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