Organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center under the patronage of President Ilham Aliyev, the 12th Global Baku Forum, themed “Rethinking World Order: Turning Challenges into Opportunities,” continued with its panel sessions.

Charles Michel, President Emeritus of the European Council and former Prime Minister of Belgium, addressed the panel session on “Geopolitical Shifts: Responsible Partnerships versus Rivalry,” moderated by Eka Tkeshelashvili, former Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia.

"We must first address the challenges. The beginning of my tenure coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to numerous difficulties. During that time, we worked to ensure the timely delivery of vaccines. Then, the Russia-Ukraine war began. Initially, we tried to assist Ukraine. We must fully support a multipolar world. Europeans should approach themselves with confidence like never before. We are strong when we unite, as this concerns our future,” Charles Michel emphasized.

In his speech, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration, stressed that Azerbaijan is closely monitoring ongoing global processes.

“First, we observe increasing polarization. Multilateral diplomacy is of great importance in this context. At the same time, fragmentation trends and the deepening of the East-West confrontation are noticeable. The South Caucasus region is a place where the interests of great powers collide, and these processes may not always align with our interests,” he noted.

Emphasizing that the Armenia-Azerbaijan war has shaped new realities in the region and that Azerbaijan has established a new status quo in the South Caucasus based on territorial integrity and sovereignty, Hajiyev added: "This region belongs to us, and we must work to ensure the transformation moves in the right direction. We hope that Armenia will also realize this. Currently, Azerbaijan is engaged in negotiations for a peace agreement. The Armenian side should abandon claims against Azerbaijan."

"We want to see the European Union adopt a new policy regarding our region. The arming of Armenia could be a new element of fragmentation,” Hikmet Hajiyev underscored.

Noting that new realities have emerged in the post-Soviet era, Hajiyev emphasized that Azerbaijan approaches these realities with reliability. He stated: "We do not expect anyone to shape the world order. We are trying to unite countries that share common views on the region. Azerbaijan is aware of the events occurring in its neighborhood, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and developments in the Middle East. Considering these realities, we are working to strengthen Central Asia-Azerbaijan relations in our foreign policy. We have historical ties with these countries. The Organization of Turkic States is also a new reality. Georgia-Azerbaijan cooperation can serve as an example for Armenian counterparts. The Caspian Sea does not divide us; it unites us."

“We are at a crossroads in history. These changes are not only theoretical but are also emerging in real time,” said Mevlut Çavuşoğlu, head of the delegation of the Turkish Grand National Assembly to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, during his address. “We must admit that the period we've lived through for 80 years is now changing. As Türkiye, we believe that, unlike before, we will see more China-U.S. rivalry than Russia-U.S. rivalry. New power centers are emerging in a fragmented world. These issues must be understood by the global West. At the very least, we must understand the expectations. The previous system has not yet fully collapsed. We must reform and build a new system with the participation of all, as well as change relationships within cooperation,” he emphasized.

Other key speakers, including Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former President of Latvia and Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center; Wu Hongbo, former Special Representative of the Chinese Government on European Affairs, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and former Chinese Ambassador to Germany; Shafik Gabr, Chairman and Managing Director of ARTOC Group for Investment & Development; and Dimitris Avramopoulos, Representative of the Prime Minister of Greece, former European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Defence, discussed topics such as the multipolar world, geopolitical changes, conflicts, the lack of unity within the EU, and global governance.

The panel continued with further discussions on the topic.

More about: