RUSSIA TRYING TO BE EQUALLY GOOD FOR ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

Azg/arm
18 Feb 05

While Ilham Aliyev Meets Putin, Sergey Lavrov Visits Armenia

At the end of the last year President Vladimir Putin of Russia stated
that the Kremlin “does not want to be an unfavorable partner for
Azerbaijan or Armenia in long historic perspective”. Putin pointed
out that Armenia is “one of our strategic allies and there is no
question in fact but Karabakh issue”. “We are ready to be mediator
and guarantee in Armenian-Azeri negotiations”, Putin said.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is paying an official visit to
Moscow these days. Aliyev arrived in Moscow, for the 4th time as
President, to participate in a festival of “The Year of Azerbaijan”.

President Aliyev gave an interview to Nezavisimaya Gazeta before
leaving for Moscow and said that Russia is the regions super
power. “Russia is the only country in chair that borders Azerbaijan
and is the super power of our region. This factor increases its
responsibility in settling Karabakh issue. We think that the
Minsk group should not apply â~@~Xagree and we will confirmâ~@~Y
principleâ~@~Y If we were able to come to an agreement we would have
done that. The Minsk group was set up as the sides were unable to
reach an agreement”, Aliyev said.

Once in office, Putin have been continually repeating that Russia
cannot put pressure on either of the sides and that Moscow will accept
the resolution that two sides respect.

President Putin noted during his meeting with Ilham Aliyev on
February 16 that good circulation between the countries marked 50
percent growth in 2004 reaching $800 million. Clearly Russian-Azeri
relations grow warmer.

President Putin must be given due as he sent foreign minister Sergey
Lavrov to Armenia to show that he wants equal relations with Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Lavrov met with President Robert Kocharian, prime
minister Andranik Margarian and his counterpart Vartan Oskanian
yesterday.

A representative of Russian Foreign Ministry informed that Lavrov
will discuss Karabakh issue during his stay in Yerevan. “Our stand
is that the conflicting sides should find a mutually acceptable
solution. Russia is ready to actively support in the issue both as a
mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in cooperation with the
Minsk group”, representative said.

Official Yerevan is still looking towards Russia as vital factor for
security, though relations with Europe and America are developing.

“The Armenian-Russian strategic alliance has no alternative today”,
Serge Sargsian, defense minister of Armenia, stated on December 17. He
also noted that Armenian-Russian relations cannot stymie Armeniaâ~@~Ys
integration into Europe especially if Russia gets closer to EU.

By Tatoul Hakobian

–Boundary_(ID_Gxqp+LhOdqKCb8K5wZWNkw)–