NEWTIMES

25 years of diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan as independent states is quiet a short historical period, but still it is marked by rich and fruitful experience.

Few days ago, the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games ended. A total of 2,800 athletes from more than 50 Islamic countries, including apart from Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen came together from 12 to 22 May 2017 to represent their nations over 10 days of competition across 20 different sports.

Experts are analyzing the outcome of the presidential election in Iran, with main emphasis made on possible geopolitical repercussions of Hassan Rouhani`s re-election. Some of them say Rouhani`s assuming the second term means Iran will take a softer stand. A reformist, Rouhani wants Iran to be more open to the world. Other experts believe that Tehran will strengthen global economic competition. They see Iran as a tough opponent for the West. Therefore, risks will remain in relations with Iran. Others look at the situation through a prism of Iran`s internal political realities. Reforms in Iran may change the situation, allowing the country to play a more active role on the international scene, which will contribute to stability. These issues seem to be thought-provoking against a background of Donald Trump`s Middle East tour. In this context, it would be interesting to analyze how the geopolitical situation may change in the region.

As Emanuel Macron, candidate of the centrist "En Marche" movement that he himself founded, became the next French President, new questions have emerged within the expert community around the world. Some regard him as the European Union's savior, while others argue that the political environment in the country is still far from clear. There is also an attempt to identify a connection between the French elections and the global geopolitics, including the political processes in the U.S. and Great Britain. Donald Trump's victory, the Brexit and Macron's election are seen as three developments that are somehow associated with one another. According to some analysts, it is about the change of substance in the Western politics in the post World War II era. They contend that the policy of double standards is an underlying factor for the political and geopolitical ambiguities. Nevertheless, the general understanding is that the outcome of the French elections will have a profound impact on global geopolitics.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the restoration of state independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I would like to sincerely congratulate and to address greetings of prosperity to all the people of Azerbaijan. This is a significant historical event. It's important to underline that Romania has been the second state in the world to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan (on December 11, 1991). Following that moment, diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Romania were established on June 19, 1992.

This week in Azerbaijan was held The 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue under the auspices of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in cooperation with UNESCO, UN Alliance of Civilizations, UN World Tourism Organization, Council of Europe, ISESCO, North-South Center of the Council of Europe. Based on the main principles of the global agenda of Dialogue among Civilisations adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, the UNESCO Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, the Islamic Declaration on Cultural Diversity, Declaration and Action Plan of the Third Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe member states, the Council of Europe White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue, as well as the Baku Declaration for the Promotion of Intercultural Dialogue, the previous World Forums have reached remarkable achievements.

As the superpowers spar for influence on the global level, it exacerbates the risk factor in different regions. Development scenarios around the processes in the South Caucasus are subject of particular interest. European think-tanks produce projections of their own on this issue but those forecasts differ with respect to certain aspects. There are some fascinating theses, most importantly on Russia and the issue of the conflicts. Armenian analysts choose to address the issue of a war. According to them, only a war can make Armenia independent – the one between the U.S. and Russia. The future of the South Caucasus is a matter of grave concern in light of such an utterly perilous prospect. Would the world fall for another Armenian provocation?

Military clashes in Syria and Iraq have become more intensive lately with one of the key features being the air bombardments against the civilians. Such attacks had claimed hundreds of lives and caused displacement of thousands more. The situation in Mosul is dramatic to the extent that the government forces have halted the operations. Elsewhere in Syria, the geopolitical tensions around Manbij and Afrin have spiraled. Washington and Moscow have started to back PYD there openly. If Americans are eyeing Raqqa, Russians are making sure that their people are on the ground in Afrin to secure their interests. Ankara's response was an anticipated one as it said the Operation Euphrates Shield would continue. Thus, the outlines of an apparent new triangle of tensions – standoff between US, Russia and Turkey – is starting to emerge.

With less than six months to the next elections to German Bundestag (September 2017) international media is monitoring closely all the political processes around the world that are even slightly associated with such a significant political event. Upcoming elections in one of the most influential nations of the Old World that actually serves as the economic safeguard across the entire European continent are important because imminent is the shaping of the new government and the election of the Chancellor. For the time being, it is evident that the race for the highest public position in the country will not be the easiest one as some of the time-tested political hawks are gearing up for the fight.

The capital of Pakistan hosted the 13th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization. The event had drawn great deal of attention. According to the experts, that gathering had a certain impact on many of the issues of global geopolitical relevance. Performance of the ECO member states with respect to prospects of regional cooperation in the South Asia is especially important. The large countries that are represented within the ECO can also influence the dynamics of the processes in the Middle East. Moreover, the ECO is actively involved in such areas as transportation, trade, economy, security and energy. Azerbaijan's energetic performance within the organization is well-acknowledged. President Ilham Aliyev's profoundly substantiated speech at the Islamabad Summit garnered attention in light of the aforementioned aspects.