ANDREY ARESHEV: ANY CONDITIONS ON TURKEY’S PART OUT OF THE QUESTION
news.am
Jan 12 2010
Armenia
Whatever claims Turkey may lay to playing a more essential role
in dealing with problems in the South Caucasus, the fact is that
it will never resolve any problem without coordinating its actions
with Russia, Andrey Areshev, Deputy Director General of the Strategic
Culture Foundation, told NEWS.am, speaking of Turkish Premier Recep
Erdogan’s visit to Moscow scheduled for January 12.
He said that both bilateral and regional problems are normally
discussed during such visits. The expert believes that the sides will
lay emphasis on energy problems, "various gas and oil pipelines turkey
is most interested in."
As regards RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s forthcoming visit to
Armenia, Areshev pointed out everything is quite clear: "Besides
bilateral relations, the sides will, of course, discuss regional
problems, particularly the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, with no progress
toward a settlement being observed," the expert said.
Areshev believes that Azerbaijan’s bellicose statements hinder the
peace process within the OSCE Minsk Group. According to him, much
will be talked about the prospects for settling the conflict this
year at the meeting, but the good will repeatedly shown by Russia
and Armenia is not sufficient for the conflict to be settled.
Since Azerbaijan presents the Turkish Premier’s discussions of energy
problems in Moscow as a key to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Areshev pointed out that any conditions on the part of
Turkey at out of the question.
"Issues of Russian-Turkish energy cooperation are too complicated to
be linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Especially as the problem
cannot be resolved of the individual will of either Russia or Turkey,"
Areshev said. He pointed out that no breakthrough should be expected
of the forthcoming meetings.