RUSSIA-TURKEY COOPERATION WILL CONTRIBUTE TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION, BUT IN THE LONG TERM: EXPERTS
Trend
Jan 14 2010
Azerbaijan
Cooperation between Russia and Turkey, as the two most powerful
regional players, will contribute to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, but in the long run, experts believe.
"Russia is a strong regional player, as Turkey. Achieving the agreement
between these countries on a certain issue promises concrete results,
even in a long-term prospect," said Sinan Ogan, Head of the Turkish
Center for International Relations and Strategic Analysis Turksam.
During the talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on
Wednesday Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed
the desire for Russia to play a more active role in resolving the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem, TRT said.
In his turn, Putin stated about readiness to provide all possible
support in this issue.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Observers believe that Russia would not exert pressure on Armenia
in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but will continue its efforts as
a mediator.
However, despite the fact that Ankara and Moscow hold a unified
position in their desire to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Russia is unlikely to put pressure on Armenia in an effort to achieve
progress in this issue, the expert said.
"Now one can say that the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh problem has
been already coordinated with Moscow and Ankara," Ogan told Trend
News over phone from Moscow.
"The relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have bright prospects.
Development of these ties will improve the situation in the region. It
will eventually lead to an intensification of the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the State Duma Federal Assembly fifth
convocation member, "United Russia" faction member Sergei Markov said.
"There are positive aspects in the process of the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement. They are the intensive negotiations of the parties and
the activities of inter-mediaries. But the bad thing is that the
negotiations are not intense enough," Markov told Trend News over
phone from Moscow.
Azerbaijani political analyst Rasim Musabeyov said, now the matter is
how Turkey will behave. "If Turkey says it will not open its borders
and does not normalize relations with Armenia until progress in the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, so be it," the expert told Trend News.
Musabeyov believes Russia could use its potential to achieve dynamic
in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
"What will it ensue – will the Armenian-Turkish relations become
normalized? This is, after all, the question of the Armenian-Turkish
relations," the politician said.
However, in a long-term prospect Turkey will not lose a chance
for using its closer relationship with Moscow as a way to exert
new pressure on Russia’s vulnerable and dependent "ally"-Armenia,
Director of Armenian Center for National and International Studies
Richard Giragosianbelieves.
According to Giragosian, it is connected with the reality of current
Armenian-Russian relations. They are marked by a deeper trend,
when Russia has been increasingly arrogant and short-sighted in
its treatment of Armenia, despite the fact that Armenia is the only
reliable ally for Moscow in the region. Moreover, Russian side has
been generally taking Armenian friendship and loyalty "for granted,"
rather than as an expression of a true strategic partner.
"Improvement and expansion in the Russian-Azerbaijani relations,
perhaps, will change Russia’s traditional position on regional issues,
including even the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Giragosian wrote Trend
News in an e-mail.