The international media has plenty of coverage of the meeting between U.S. President George Bush and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Previously, it was believed that as with Armenian President Robert Kocharian, Aliyev would never be invited for such a high profile meeting because of serious concerns with his record in the area of democracy and respect for human rights. However, things appear to be changing.

Bush met in the Oval Office with President Ilham Aliev, who succeeded his father 2 ½ years ago in a ballot that the State Department said suffered from “numerous, serious irregularities.”

With Aliev sitting in an armchair next to him, Bush held out Azerbaijan as “a modern Muslim country that is able to provide for its citizens, that understands that democracy is the wave of the future.”

Of course, perhaps Bush is being a little “economic with the actualité,” as Alan Clarke used to say. In fact, most observers believe that there are other far more important issues at stake than democracy and human rights whatever the White House might say.

A year ago, the country celebrated the opening of a 1,100-mile pipeline from its capital, Baku, on the Caspian Sea, through Georgia and on to a Mediterranean port in Turkey. The event was important enough to the U.S. that Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman attended.

The pipeline creates a link that avoids Iran, Russia and neighboring Armenia to carry 1 million barrels of oil a day to Western markets by 2008.

Other reports indicate that Iran topped discussion between Bush and Aliyev and that the two presidents also touched upon the issue of Nagorno Karabakh. However, no details are known on this last point although Today.az carries the full transcript of what was said at a photo opportunity staged by the two leaders.

Of course, the issues of resolution of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh also in the center of our discussions and we — I informed Mr. President with the latest status of the negotiations and expressed my hope that a peaceful settlement of the conflict will happen and will serve to the peace and stability in the whole region.

The Azerbaijani online publication also says that Aliyev is against providing assistance to the U.S. in the event of any military action against Iran. However, a short report on the PanArmenian.net site says that Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Karabakh are now seemingly linked.

The United States will take every possibility to get hold of Azerbaijan as an ally against Iran, political scientist, orientalist David Hovhannisian told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. “In this view the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is bound with the Iranian problem. At that it should be noted that for the United States Iran in the number one tactical problem. Talks with Aliyev will be held on the whole scope of relations including the distribution of energy resources, U.S. influence upon the whole Caspian region and many others. Azerbaijan’s geopolitical location as a transit state should also be taken into account. By the way, Azerbaijan has been for two years already providing its military and civic airdromes for the United States,” Hovhannisian remarked.

[…]

The political scientist also noted that the U.S. may involve Armenia in the conflict with Iran. However, in his opinion, this will be not dangerous for Armenia. “The principle “the ally of the enemy” works, but Armenia should not fear of it. We will be apart of the conflict if such occurs,” he underscored.

On a kind of related note, the World Peace Herald also carries an op-ed on Armenia’s situation in the region and the world as well as the problems it currently faces by the U.S. born opposition party leader Raffi Hovannisian.

In the 15 years of the country’s newly rediscovered statehood, authority has never been transferred from incumbent to challenger by free and fair elections. They have always been forged — unfortunately always by the administration. The sitting presidency is no exception to this deplorable rule of illegitimate government.

For Armenia to reclaim its democratic advantage in the region, to become a competitive contributor to peace, development and security, and to realize its strategic credentials at an increasingly critical crossing on the global map, it must transform itself both at home and abroad.

It’s worth a read.