Leaders and thinkers gathered in Azerbaijan for the ADA Political Forum to examine shifting global power, energy security, and the future of international cooperation.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00At the end of the day, we're in the process of shaping what that new order is like.
00:05We can't cling to a past in terms of a Western-dominated order, because the West doesn't make up the
00:12majority of the world.
00:14And so it's forums like these, and we're bringing that into the dialogue, and that's important.
00:23They're shaping the norms, they're shaping the rules, and that is the future.
00:30It's for the seventh time.
00:40The big group of international experts from different countries visit Azerbaijan to address
00:46important issues of global agenda.
00:49And at the same time, all these visits help to know Azerbaijan better, to feel the pulse
00:58of the country.
00:59The seventh ADA political forum took place in Azerbaijan under the theme, Facing the
01:04New World Order.
01:06Organized by ADA University and the International Center for Analysis of International Relations,
01:12it was an opportunity for open dialogue about issues including regional sovereignty, economic
01:17transformation, and geopolitical changes and instability.
01:21I think the origins of this sort of instability to go back probably 10 years or so, maybe
01:27to the rise of China and the collapse of the Western financial system in 2008 to 2009.
01:32And then suddenly we found the alternative models on display.
01:36It wasn't just the Western financial model, the Western political model which was on display.
01:40So there's a drift towards people and countries thinking about, is the Western model right for
01:45us?
01:46A drift away from multilateralism and towards, if you like, multipolarity or what you might
01:51call mini-lateralism, which is smaller groupings and countries working together to achieve
01:56their own objectives.
01:57Changes in this global power balance and the importance of responsible partnerships and
02:02multilateralism were hot topics.
02:04The global shift and role of Europe and beyond in that global conversation was also debated.
02:10The European Union is the best thing in the world, which is a very good thing, but it has its
02:15faults.
02:16And I think it's good to kind of get out of the bubble and have discussions that the global
02:20South is there, you know, you have other powers like China there.
02:23I think it's crucial to have those dialogues because without it, we just live in a bubble and
02:29don't understand other cultures, other people.
02:31And I think that doesn't make sense because, you know, we can, it makes us a bit full of ourselves.
02:36This already established platform allows us to play an important role as a geographical,
02:45political, economic and transportation bridge between a region of Central Asia and Europe.
02:53And we know that there is a big interest now to Central Asia from the West, whether it's
02:59European Union or United States or other international institutions.
03:04And of course, planning the long term cooperation with that region, it's only enough to look at
03:13the map to understand that Azerbaijan cannot be avoided.
03:1680 attendees from 44 countries traveled to Karabakh University as part of the forum.
03:24It was the first international event to be held in Konkendi and was seen by many as a reflection
03:31of Azerbaijan's openness to further dialogue and international cooperation.
03:35We are trying to understand what's happening with the world, because the world is going
03:40through tectonic changes with the new US administration, with the situation in EU countries and also
03:46with the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza.
03:48We're trying to understand how the world is shifting and how Azerbaijan can be part of this
03:53new reality, new dynamic and how we can contribute to world peace, global peace.
03:59Addressing energy security and climate change in tandem was one of the challenges presented
04:04at the forum.
04:05If your energy security means pumping more emissions into the atmosphere and destroying
04:09the planet, then that's not, that wouldn't be my version of energy security.
04:13How you actually deliver that energy security through increasing use of renewables and green
04:17energy and fewer, less and less use of hydrocarbons has been the big issue.
04:23Having said that, of course, is right at the moment, the whole cost of the transition to
04:28the green transition, if you like, how quick it will be, how expensive it will be, now some
04:34more people are talking about that.
04:35So I think that's, again, quite a difficult conversation that's taking place in the world
04:39about how to balance that energy security over the medium term with climate change over
04:43the long term.
04:44With lots of food for thought, the key takeaways will no doubt ensure the conversations about
04:49the new world order continue despite the forum concluding.