AZERBAIJAN CAN’T REPLACE ARMENIA IN RUSSIA’S POLICY IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.07.2008 16:02 GMT+04:00

There will be no breakthrough unless the sides come to a mutually
acceptable agreement on Karabakh, a Russian expert said.

"Talks can be held with participation of Dmitry Medvedev, George Bush
and Barack Obama he is elected President. There will be no result
unless the sides make mutual concessions. Nevertheless, talks are
better than war," said Sergei Markedonov, head of the inter-ethnic
relations at the institute of political and military analysis.

He remarked that the role of Moscow in the settlement process should
not be overestimated. "There is no USSR or Central Committee of the
Communist Party. So, it makes no sense to look for solution in Moscow,"
he said, adding that before 2006 Russia and Azerbaijan demonstrated
a strong capability to resolve disputable issues.

"However, I think that Azerbaijan will never be able to replace Armenia
and become Russia’s major ally in the Caucasus," Markedonov said,
Day.az reports.