BAKU DISCLOSES NEGOTIATIONS WITH MOSCOW OVER KARABAKH
Haikazn Ghahriyan, Editor-in-Chief
Comments – 29 December 2014, 11:29
The Azerbaijani foreign minister Mammedyarov has told Interfax that
Azerbaijan will not enter the Eurasian Economic Union for the sake
of concessions on Karabakh. He said their relationship with Russia
is developing irrespective of this and will further deepen thanks
through bilateral cooperation, without CSTO and EEU.
Mammedyarov told the truth because Russian-Azerbaijani and Turkish
relations are close to alliance or the alliance may already be in
place. In the Russian projects of CSTO and EEU Azerbaijan will lose
its opportunity for maneuver. In these unions it would have to assume
certain commitments that would not be in line with its interests like
the other states participating in those projects.
Mammedyarov actually reveals there was such a conversation on “getting”
Karabakh in return for membership to the EEU. He did not disclose the
source of such a proposal. It could have equally been made by Baku or
Moscow. Besides, the Karabakh issue has obviously been discussed in
proposals on ensuring land communication via Azerbaijan which came
from both Azerbaijan and Russia. In addition, there was a hint that
the Armenian side also participated in those negotiations but this
information has not been confirmed.
Armenia was annexed by the EEU through blackmail mainly using security
issues. On the one hand, Russia armed Azerbaijan which used those
weapons for sabotages against Armenia and Karabakh. On the other hand,
it proposes deploying troops in the conflict area. The first part of
this plan is complete: Armenia joined the EEU without Karabakh.
As to deployment of troops in the conflict area, apparently there are
difficulties with this due to the international political setting. At
least, the Russian side has recently announced about the necessity
to resolve the problem within the Minsk Group. This means that the
status quo will continue.
How long will this last? The grounds for this status quo – the
balance of forces – have been changed due to arming Azerbaijan and
limiting Armenia’s sovereignty. This circumstance contains real risk
of resumption of war.
Azerbaijan is not a CSTO and EEU member and does not have relevant
arrangements. Besides, Karabakh is not part of Eurasian Armenia, and
possible military actions by Azerbaijan will be beyond CSTO mandate.
Of course, CSTO has never and will never restrain Azerbaijan but
there was the sovereign army of Armenia which prevented sabotages and
counteracted. At present, however, when Armenia has joined the EEU
and thereby limited the freedom of its own armed forces, the problem
is getting even more complicated.
Russia and Azerbaijan closely cooperated over the annexation of Armenia
by the EEU. What new “project” could Baku and Moscow implement? The
relations between the West and Azerbaijan have aggravated, which has
brought this country closer to Russia.
Besides, the UN has adopted a resolution which bans supply of weapons
to those states in which human rights are violated. Azerbaijan and
Russia have not joined this resolution.