TOMAS HOLTZ: "THE MOSCOW SUMMIT AND DECLARATION, SIGNED BY ITS RESULT, IS RUSSIA’S NEXT ATTEMPT TO DEMONSTRATE ITS LEADING ROLE IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS"

Today.Az
politics/48737.html
Nov 4 2008
Azerbaijan

Day.Az blitz-interview with Tomas Holtz, professor of the Montana
University and famous US journalist.

– By results of talks the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia
signed a joint declaration in Moscow, in which the sides confirmed
their loyalty to the principles of the peaceful resolution of the
conflict and undertook to intensify the negotiation process. The
document also says that the search of ways for the conflict solution
must be accompanied by the legally binding international security
guarantees. What do you think is behind this Moscow’s initiative, which
obviously bypasses other mediating states in the Karabakh solution?

– I think the Moscow summit and declaration, signed by its result,
is Russia’s next attempt to demonstrate its leading role in the South
Caucasus. I think this is an integral part of the Russian policy to
expand or restore its influence in this region.

– Can the Turkey initiative to create a platform of stability and
cooperation in the Caucasus region be effective? This initiative,
according to mass medias, was approved by the Kremlin. At the same
time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in early November
that the issue of security in the Caucasus is being discussed in
different formats and announced that the interest for participation
in the discussion about creation of the security zone in the Caucasus
is also demonstrated by Iran. This issue was once discussed between
Baku and Tehran. What is behind the plans to include Iran into the
list of regional peacekeepers?

– The proposal of the Russian Foreign Minister to involve Iran into
any peacekeeping activity either conflicts in Georgia or Nagorno
Karabakh conflict seems symbolical. In other words, this proposal can
be considered as a challenge to the diplomatic efforts of the United
States, aimed at not allowing Iran to any significant processes.

– Can it be suggested in this connection that even in case of
successful inclusion of Iran into the international peacekeeping
mission, the initiatives of this country will be hampered by the
Americans? And don’t you think that the involvement of new countries
to the resolution of regional conflicts will hardly facilitate their
settlement, especially speaking about Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which
is complicated by the current differences between the main mediators
in the resolution of this problem – Russia and the United States?

– It does not make any difference whether Russia will manage to execute
this initiative, along with the Turkey’s proposal on the creation of
the Stability and Cooperation Platform in the region.

The most important is to bring together different formulas, offered
beyond the Minsk Group format.