Baku forum as a pillar of the new security architecture

At the 2024 2nd Baku Security Forum, organised by Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (SSS) and attended by representatives from intelligence and security agencies of around 50 countries, the creation of the Baku Security Forum (BSF) was officially announced on the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev. The Forum is intended to operate on a permanent basis. A year ago, participating countries unanimously endorsed both the President’s initiative and his proposal to establish a BSF Secretariat.

The current, third session of the BSF builds on this foundation. While last year’s forum focused on “Contemporary Challenges to the Security of Global Transportation Networks,” this year’s opening session is framed around “Cooperation of Security Agencies in Preventing Humanitarian Crises and Global Technogenic Catastrophes during Terrorist Attacks and Armed Conflicts.”

It is fair to say that the very title of the event speaks volumes, highlighting the emphasis President Ilham Aliyev placed in his address to participants of the 3rd BSF session. Before delving into the specifics of his speech, it is worth noting that the topics discussed at this year’s Forum effectively complement the agendas of major international conferences previously held in Baku.

For context, the 12th Global Baku Forum in March took place under the slogan “Rethinking World Order: Turning Challenges into Opportunities.” The theme “Facing the New World Order” brought together participants at the April international forum at ADA University. Meanwhile, the plenary sessions of the 30th Anniversary Baku Energy Forum in June addressed aspects such as “Global Cooperation for a Sustainable and Reliable Energy Future,” among others.

Our brief overview of the international forums that preceded the III BSF session clearly demonstrates how the agenda of the conference that opened yesterday continues the line of discussion previously held in the Azerbaijani capital. This is all the more relevant given the powerful geopolitical upheavals unfolding before our eyes, posing threats to the entire planet. It was precisely this dimension that President Ilham Aliyev highlighted at the outset of his address to the Forum participants, underscoring the importance of continuing the work of the BSF’s security and intelligence structures, which play a vital role in maintaining the international security system—especially amid intensifying global geopolitical contradictions.

There is no doubt that the world is changing by the hour, bringing humanity new challenges and threats. Armed conflicts in different regions are creating fertile ground for humanitarian crises, man-made disasters, and environmental catastrophes. Alongside this, we see the escalation of conflicts worldwide, the growing activity of terrorist organisations, and a surge in cyberthreats. In this light, the head of state expressed deep concern over religious extremism, separatism, illegal migration, arms trafficking, and other factors undermining the international security system.

In this context, President Aliyev stressed not only the need for new approaches but also for closer cooperation among states. He referred to Azerbaijan’s own experience, noting that one of the country’s key objectives is to establish a new format of regional cooperation that would give fresh impetus to strengthening partnerships among neighbouring countries in the future. In this regard, special emphasis was placed on the Joint Declaration signed last month in Washington between Azerbaijan and Armenia, witnessed by the United States. The president described this as an important historic step towards concluding a peace agreement—one that will open new avenues of cooperation not only for our region, but also for Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

By drawing the participants’ attention to the evolving situation in the South Caucasus, President Ilham Aliyev in effect invited all interested parties to draw on Baku’s experience in building relations with other states—relations oriented toward maintaining peace and stability in the region. This approach is fully in line with Azerbaijan’s broader vision of global affairs as a whole, viewed through the lens of prospects for humanity at large. Indeed, as the head of state underlined in his address at last year’s International Forum in Cernobbio, Azerbaijan demonstrated how international law—backed by strong political will, national unity, and military strength—can bring about profound geopolitical change. He concluded by affirming that peace in the South Caucasus is attainable.

As the saying goes, “no sooner said than done.” President Aliyev’s remarks yesterday, viewed in the regional context, confirmed just how precise his forecast in Cernobbio had been. Yet, as we must stress again, the underlying message is a call to the participants of the international conference to advance progress through the maintenance of peace and stability across all regions.

This nuance, however, can be considered in a much broader light. As far back as 2007, Ilham Aliyev had already highlighted the importance of intercivilisational dialogue as a means to ensure a safer life for people in different corners of the world—through deeper mutual understanding, cooperation, and solidarity. And is this not exactly what was underlined in the president’s address to the participants of the third Baku Security Forum: that stability and prosperity can only be achieved through dialogue and partnership?

Thus, Baku is not merely positioning itself as one of the leading actors on the global stage in terms of fostering closer ties between peoples, cultures, and civilisations; it is also demonstrating through concrete actions—rather than words alone—its genuine commitment to this process. And this commitment extends far beyond the regional dimension to the global level, particularly through Azerbaijan’s role as a bridge between the Global South and the Global North, aimed at reducing imbalances and contributing to the strengthening of trust.

It seems evident that the participants of yet another major forum in Baku—especially such a distinguished audience as heads of intelligence services and security experts from countries across all continents—clearly recognised that the Baku platform has become a field for shaping significant contemporary trends. In this light, President Ilham Aliyev underscored that the Baku Security Forum possesses a unique format: not only in identifying global and regional threats and risks but also in studying ways to neutralise them. He therefore highlighted that the annual meetings in Baku stand as a vivid example of the Forum’s evolution into a platform of mutual trust and cooperation.