The U.S. ambassador in Baku, Richard Morningstar, praised Azerbaijan's independent policy in the past 20 years.

Azerbaijan is one of the few countries in the post-Soviet area that is not under anyone's control and has managed to maintain an independent policy for 20 years, Morningstar said in his speech at the first international Caspian Energy Forum-2014 in Baku.

"Azerbaijan's energy resources have always been important, but its importance is now growing against the background of the events of recent months regarding Ukraine and Russia," Morningstar said.

He said the success of large-scale energy projects, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, is the result of international cooperation.

Morningstar said the U.S. has its own interests in the region, although Azerbaijan's oil and gas is not directly supplied to the United States.

"Support for Europe's energy security and diversification of the sources of energy supply are some of those interests," Morningstar said.

He said cooperation between Azerbaijan and its international partners in the energy sector was a very far-sighted step, as energy resources play a special role for other countries.

"The adoption of decisions on the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) last year and the final investment decision on the second stage of development at Azerbaijan's offshore gas condensate Shah Deniz field in 2013 created opportunities for reaching progress on the Southern Gas Corridor," Morningstar said.

Bakudaily.az