British expert:

The election of Azerbaijan like a non permanent member of UN Security Council will not have any immediate effect on the Karabakh negotiations, nor on the work of the Minsk Process, but it is an indication that Azerbaijan has become an important international player, executive director of the British non-governmental organization LINKS, Dennis Sammut, told Arminfo correspondent.

He also added that the election of Azerbaijan to the Security Council is a reflection of a very active, and in many ways successful foreign policy pursued by that country. In the election of the last days
Azerbaijan was strongly supported by member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Arab League and the Non Aligned Movement, as well as most CIS countries.

"Elmar Mammadyarov has been a very effective Foreign Minister in many respects, and he has been working to secure the Security Council seat for some time", - Mr. Sammut said and added that as a member of the Security Council Azerbaijan acquires some prestige, but also responsibility.

"The world body is the ultimate guarantor for world peace and members of the Security Council are expected to lead by example", - he emphasized.

When commenting on the fact that the election of Azerbaijan as a non permanent member of the United Nations Security Council became possible despite the Karabakh conflict, the British expert said: "The election of non permanent members of the United Nations Security Council takes place each year in the General Assembly. Each country has a vote, and each country votes on the basis of its national interests, and what it perceives is the best choice for leading this world body. The fact that a country has a dispute with another country has never excluded the election of that country to the Security Council. India and Pakistan have both been members of the Security Council despite their history of wars and conflicts", - he concluded.