On the first day of a visit to the United States, the visiting Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SAM) delegation attended several conferences and meetings.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a conference on "Iran-Azerbaijan relations and strategic competition in the Caucasus," where Andrew Kuchins (CSIS) and Farhad Mammadov (SAM) presented opening remarks. 

 

The first session, titled "Current Dynamics of Iran-Azerbaijan Relations" featured SAM Director Farhad Mammadov, MP Asim Mollazade, senior fellow of the foreign issues analysis department Heydar Mirza,  and Middle East Institute fellow Alex Vatanka.  The second session - "Iran-Azerbaijan Relations: Regional and International Impacts," featured scientific researcher Lu Ksiang and chief editor of Turkish Policy Quarterly magazine Nigar Goksel. 

 

A conference held at the Brookings Institute on "South Energy Corridor: does it change rules of geostrategic game?" commenced with opening remarks by TUSIAD senior fellow Kemal Kirinci and SAM Deputy Director Gulshan Pashayeva. The first session on "TANAP and its role in Europe" was led by Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev with a talk on "Azerbaijan's contribution to energy security in Europe," senior researcher of the economic analysis and globalization affairs department Gulmira Rzayeva's on the "Technical, commercial and geopolitical realities of TANAP," and Brookings Institute's Director on Energy Security Charles Ebinger on "Change of European energy security landscape and its consequences for South Corridor." The second session on "Opportunities of South Corridor to accelerate security and development in South Caucasus and Caspian region" was addressed by of Georgetown University fellow Brenda Shaffer,  Atlantic Council fellow Adnan Vatansever and head of the department for analysis of foreign political issues, Rovshan Ibrahimov on "Energy policy of those who provide access to sea." 

 

Additionally, the head of the economic analysis and globalization affairs department, Vusal Gasimli, held a meeting at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The meeting also presented his book, Resource-rich countries: Modernization and Diversification, published in Germany. At the meeting, lead researcher of the Peterson Institute, Andres Aslund broadly analyzed the experience of countries undergoing periods of transformation. 

 

The Atlantic Council also held a meeting, which included Farhad Mammadov, Deputy Director Gushan Pashayeva, Rovshan Ibrahimov, lead researcher Kamal Makili-Aliyev, senior fellow Zaur Shiriyev, Gulmira Rzayeva and senior researcher of the domestic policy analysis department Rauf Garagozov. The meeting exchanged views on US-Azerbaijan relations and events going on in the region. 

 

The visiting SAM delegation will be in the United States until May 8th and its program will include 20 conferences, meetings and lectures at leading think tanks and universities in seven cities.