KONSTANTIN ZATULIN: RUSSIA CANNOT RECOGNIZE NKR UNTIL ARMENIA DOES IT

Noyan Tapan
Oct 23, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. "Quite lately the United States
seeked to take the initiative of solving the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict into its hand, while Russia is not different to that
subject, either." Vladimir Zakharov, the Deputy Director of Moscow
State Institute of International Relations, stated at the October 22
Yerevan-Moscow TV bridge organized at the Novosti-Armenia information
center. According to his observation, the main goal of Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Armenia was discussion of the
Nagorno Karabakh settlement and preparation for tripartite meeting
of Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia.

Konstantin Zatulin, the Director of the Institute of CIS Countries,
said that Armenia holds the opinion that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
in its nature differs from other similar conflicts and the problem
may be solved with the mediation of the West, with the influence of
the Armenian diaspora.

K. Zatulin also stressed that it will be a serious damage for Russia
unless Armenia and Azerbaijan come to agreement in a peaceful way. In
that case, according to K. Zatulin, the August events of Georgia
will recur.

Alexander Iskandarian, the Director of the Caucasian Media Institute,
in his turn, reminded that 3/4 Armenia’s commodity circulation is done
through the territory of Georgia, and Yerevan has no other outlet to
the outer world except Georgia and Iran. In response to it K. Zatulin
said that everything should be done "to liquidate Armenia’s dependence
on Georgia." "Otherwise it comes that even in case when it is in
Armenia’s interests to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia Armenia
does not do it only due to Georgian dependence," K. Zatulin said. He
also stated that Russia cannot recognize NKR until Armenia does it.

RA National Assembly deputy Armen Ashotian added that Armenia will
recognize NKR in case a danger of military operations emerges.