AZERBAIJANI MP: NEW LEVEL OF RUSSIA-TURKEY-AZERBAIJAN COOPERATION MAY NEUTRALIZE ARMENIA’S ANTI-AZERBAIJAN POSITION

Today
59447.html
Jan 14 2010
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with member of Azerbaijani Milli Majlis (parliament)
Zahid Oruj.

Do you believe Turkish PM Erdogan’s Moscow trip will help solve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? To what degree the situation in the South
Caucasus is dependant on relations between Moscow and Ankara?

Russia-Turkey relations began to play an important role in our region
once again. We have witnessed a thaw in relations between Moscow and
Ankara since Recep Tayyip Erdogan became Turkish prime minister and
even a little earlier. Growing trade relations between the countries,
as well as cooperation in the energy sector, in particular in the
Blue Stream project also contribute to this. There is no doubt that
intensified bilateral economic cooperation has led to a warming of
relations in the political sphere.

After the August war in Georgia, certain forces in Russia accused
Ankara of supporting Tbilisi. But these allegations did not deepen.

Ankara and Moscow have some common ground in their stance on some
urgent matters in the region including Iran’s nuclear program. I think
this is a positive fact, although some experts are of a different
opinion.

I think that in the context of regional policy the warming
Russia-Turkey relations may bring a new level of cooperation among
Moscow, Ankara and Baku. This collaboration will help neutralize
Armenian’s anti-Azerbaijani and anti-Turkish stance which earlier
was often fueled by Russia.

Russia and Turkey have mutually contradictory history of relations,
but this does not prevent them from developing cooperation. Why
Armenia lives in past in its relations with its neighbors?

Building state policy on the very controversial historical facts and
insults does not promote security in our region. Armenia is hostage
of its history and cannot "close the old book." The state living with
such memories of the past has no future.

We know from history that Russia has traditionally lived with ideas
of gaining access to warm seas. Therefore, Russia and Turkey have
constantly waged wars in past. Nevertheless, that has not stopped
Russia and Turkey to break the "enemy" stereotype and to build new
relations of cooperation. Armenia, causing irreparable damage to its
own people, plays extremely destabilizing in the region.

In fact, I believe that it is Turkey which can influence Russia’s
position in the Karabakh issue. Moscow must understand that to
strengthen in the Caucasus it needs not a separatist regime in
Nagorno-Karabakh, but developing economic and strategic relations with
Azerbaijan. The longer current situation will remain in the region,
greater temptation the West will have to make a military penetration
into the Caucasus.

In what roles do Ankara and Moscow want to see each other in the
South Caucasus?

I think, Moscow sees the danger of Turkey’s strengthening in the
Caucasus. At the same time, Moscow is increasingly aware that in the
case of strengthening relations with Turkey, they may be able to divert
Ankara from the path of Western support. But this does not mean that
Russia wants to see Turkey as a full-fledged actor in the Caucasus.

Unlike Russia, Turkey’s foreign policy doctrine is quite different.

Ankara opts for a more moderate steps in relations with Moscow. It
does not put a task to squeeze Russia out of the South Caucasus
region. On the contrary, it wants to find common ground with Moscow.

This approach can bring about stability in the Caucasus.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress