Azerbaijan has fewer problems with EU than Turkey

News.Az interviews Zeyno Baran, an American political scientist.

How do you evaluate Azerbaijan’s current place in our region?

Azerbaijan has a strategically important location and is at the crossroads between north and south, east and west, as it was said at the Baku conference on dialogue between cultures. The country showed impressive development rates in the last 10 years. It suggests that the future of the country is very promising.

You have spoken about the international conference on intercultural dialogue, in which you have taken part. Are such events helpful in letting the world know more about Azerbaijan to draw the world’s attention to Karabakh conflict and other problems of the country?

Yes, certainly. Any of such conferences, especially when the matter is about dialogue between cultures, between religions. Such events are helpful to Azerbaijan in showing its multireligiousness and multiculturalism to the world community.

Do you see Azerbaijan integrated with the European community in the near future?

If we mean EU membership, I don’t think this is the event of the nearest future. All the same, dialogue with EU is developing. Everything depends on the level of improvement of social, economic and other spheres in Azerbaijan. Especially, if Azerbaijan wants to become part of Europe, it has to share common values.

I mean famous European Islamophobia when the point comes to Eurointegration of such Muslim countries, as Turkey and Azerbaijan. Is it true that in this sense Europe will always keep our countries aloof?

Azerbaijan is much smaller than Turkey which is why we have fewer problems. In addition, Azerbaijan is a country with secular traditions and I don’t think in this view Azerbaijan and Turkey are the same-category countries. In addition, the case with Turkey is related to EU accession, unlike Azerbaijan.

Leyla Tagiyeva

News.Az