Expert: Following victory, Azerbaijan has clearly become viewed as leader in region

The growing potential for international cooperation puts Azerbaijan on the map as a financially independent country and an equal and desirable partner to some of the leading Western countries, Irina Tsukerman, the US-based expert and analyst told Report.

“Following the victory, Azerbaijan has clearly become viewed as a leader in the region, with multiple visits by EU representatives who praised the peacebuilding processes, acknowledged the importance of Azerbaijan's partnership, and expressed interest in support for various joint international ventures and relationships in such key priority areas as green energy, digital technology and innovation, tourism, and various scientific and agricultural trade agreements,” she said.

She also praised the steps taken by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev: “President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev employed several methods that made the victory possible: first, he spent years in preparing the military in terms of training, purchased the most advanced equipment, and of course psychological investment into finally liberating 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory from the occupation,” Tsukerman added.

However, the president also focused on a clear response at home: investment into the Azerbaijani people's vision of a future beyond the conflict, and a plan for restoring the territories as quickly as possible, she said.

During war, although the population was heartbroken over the losses that were taking place, they were also highly motivated to show support both in the media and in social media networks, to provide assistance through grassroots efforts, to act as volunteer outreach to explain what was going on to the outside world, while remaining civil and humane throughout the conflict, Tsukerman noted.

“The remarkable restraing with which Azerbaijanis acted in response to highly personal attacks provided a stark contrast for foreigners trying to understand the situation and made a big difference, and the reason for that was the tone that was set from the very top - rational, fact-based, and result-oriented, rather than propagandistic and hysterical,” she concluded.