CONTEMPORARY EURASIA IX ( 2 )
tactics and strategies of Azerbaijan when managing this conflict , conditioned by various internal and external factors .
First of all , as already stated , in December 2019 , the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov gave an interview where he mentioned “ strategic patience ”, initially claiming that Armenia is a small state and cannot sustain further economic isolation . 64 However , a year before this interview , the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev introduced “ a forward-looking ” plan widely known as “ 6D Plan ” on solving the NK issue , which is in the framework of the phased solution . 65 The last point of this plan portrays Azerbaijan ’ s long-pursued position towards the peace process . In line with the de-occupation , demilitarization , de-mining , deployment , and dialogue came this development : “ the integration of Armenia into regional processes ” 66 . Together with Mammadyarov ’ s interview , this peace plan displays how Azerbaijan sees the roadmap towards the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict , where the suggested “ peace for prosperity ” for Armenia is at the core . Thus , it is interesting to see where that shift towards the peace process happened and how the position of Ilham Aliyev has changed depending on various factors .
Thus , the successful power transition in Azerbaijan and the loss of the perception that the once unstable Azerbaijan is growing steadily were the main factors that decided Aliyev ’ s sentiments and policies towards conflict management . First , it is worth noting that by the time Aliyev came to power , his predecessor had managed to make some changes in the negotiating process , fortifying Azerbaijan ’ s position and ensuring its territorial integrity . Thereby Ilham Aliyev did not return to this issue again . His plans for the peace process were completely different . As a newly elected leader of a country and a somewhat inexperienced person in the peace process , he should have adapted to that environment and strengthened Azerbaijan ’ s position to put forward his maximalist ideas towards the resolution of the conflict .
Thus , Aliyev started juxtaposing his countless speeches and statements to the idea of power asymmetry with Armenia and attempted to build his policy towards the latter in the framework of the NK issue . In
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“ Elmar Mammadyarov ’ s Interview ,” CBC , https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = 7YKquGeQk9Y . 65 Hikmat Hajiev , “ Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict : Between lasting peace and eternal war ,”
Euroactiv , July 5 , 2018 , https :// www . euractiv . com / section / azerbaijan / opinion / armeniaazerbaijan-conflict-between-lasting-peace-and-eternal-war /. 66 Ibid .
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