AZE.US
Russia no longer has significant tools to pressure Azerbaijan, a result of Baku’s decades-long effort to reduce its economic and transportation dependence on Moscow, Azerbaijani lawmaker Rasim Musabekov said.
Speaking on the Daily Europe Online YouTube channel, Musabekov said Azerbaijan’s current ability to pursue an independent foreign policy was built through long-term investments in alternative trade routes, defense capabilities and its strategic alliance with Turkey.
“Azerbaijan built its independence from Russia over several decades,” he said. “Sovereignty is achieved not through declarations, but by changing realities.”
According to Musabekov, Baku began redirecting its transportation links through Georgia and toward Turkey after Russia imposed restrictions on Azerbaijan during the presidency of Boris Yeltsin. The resulting energy and infrastructure projects gradually reduced Azerbaijan’s exposure to both Russia and Iran.
That strategy, he argued, later allowed Azerbaijan to restore its territorial integrity without seeking Moscow’s approval and to secure the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Karabakh.
Musabekov said Azerbaijan also made a deliberate decision to invest heavily in its armed forces, even when the same funds could have been directed toward pensions, child benefits and other social programs.
“We understood what we could face,” he said. “If we did not strengthen our security and make ourselves sufficiently difficult to pressure, the state would not survive.”
The lawmaker also pointed to Azerbaijan’s alliance with Turkey, its financial reserves and major energy and transportation projects as factors supporting the country’s strategic autonomy.
“In the Kremlin today, they understand that they have no serious levers of pressure on Azerbaijan,” Musabekov said.
At the same time, he rejected the suggestion that Russia had become dependent on Azerbaijan. Instead, he described the relationship as one of growing interdependence, particularly as Moscow relies on transportation routes through Azerbaijan for access to Iran and other regional markets.
Musabekov said this reality requires Baku and Moscow to coordinate on practical issues in the Caspian region and maintain dialogue based on mutual interests.
Germany’s Growing Importance
The Azerbaijani lawmaker also described President Ilham Aliyev’s recent visit to Germany as an important step in Baku’s relations with the European Union.
He estimated that the EU accounts for between 43% and 50% of Azerbaijan’s foreign trade, depending largely on global oil and gas prices. Europe is also a major source of technology, education, scientific cooperation and modern management practices for Azerbaijan.
Musabekov said Germany is becoming increasingly important as it expands both its political and security role within Europe. With Berlin seeking alternatives to Russian energy, Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus offer one of the principal routes connecting Europe with Central Asia without passing through Russia or Iran.
“Italy and Germany are our main pillars in Europe,” he said, describing Italy as Azerbaijan’s largest trading partner and Germany as an increasingly important strategic counterpart.
Musabekov argued that these partnerships, combined with Azerbaijan’s independent regional policy, have created a new balance in relations with Moscow.
“Azerbaijan is now reaping the benefits of its long-term strategy,” he said.
AZE.US