Araz Alizade: "Announcements about Russia's aggressive intentions are unfounded: this country wants normal good neighbor relations with Azerbaijan"

- Medvedev's current visit to Azerbaijan has become one of the first foreign official visits of the new Russian president. How can this great attention of the Russian leadership to Azerbaijan be explained?

- This can be explained by growing respect and political influence of Azerbaijan in the territory of the former Soviet Union. Azerbaijan is gradually gaining weight among the CIS countries due to the development of its economic potential. The so-called "oil factor" plays a great role in it and the fact that Azerbaijan conducts balanced external policy is also critical.

- The topic of energy cooperation was initially defined by the Kremlin as one of the main topics of the visit. Do you think Medvedev will manage to persuade Azerbaijan to reject the western routes of its energy resources transportation bypassing Russia?

- Azerbaijan will not change its multi-directional policy on energy resources supply to the world markets. By the way, no one intends to persuade Azerbaijan in this issue. Only our opposition press perceives the situation so lopsidedly, stating that Russia wants to occupy something or make someone do something. Russia wants normal good neighbor relations with Azerbaijan and it is natural to take into account one's economic and political gains. The same with Azerbaijan. In general, any country must be able to defend its interests in the international relations.

- Meanwhile, Russia has voiced the intention to purchase the whole gas, produced in Azerbaijan. Isn't it a demonstration of the intention to set monopoly and in the result to have one more mechanism of pressure?

- Newspaper have previously had a column: "If I were a director". So, if I were a President, I would not supply gas for export, as er have a mixed situation today. After the second stage of the Shah Deniz gas condensate is launched, Azerbaijan will produce 8.6 bln cubic meters of gas at the time when our demands made 11-12 bln cubic meters. We purchase additional gas from Russia and at the same time for geopolitical games supply gas to Turkey, Georgia and others.

I would primarily ensure the demands of the Azerbaijani population.

- Does it mean that the gas policy of the government affect the interests of the population?

- No, here are the political games, but I think we do not gain high dividends from it. See, how much is done for Georgia and how they treat Azerbaijanis. When some economic concessions are made and assistance is provided, other issues should also be raised, in this case about improvement of living conditions of Azerbaijanis, residing in the said country. Unfortunately, we do not do it. It turns out that we assist Georgia as the USSR assisted to Africa.

- What Russia can offer to Azerbaijan in exchange to deepening of economic relations?

- The fact that 2,000,000 Azerbaijanis reside and earn their living in Russia and provide means for another 4,000,000 people in Azerbaijan. These are significant figures. Azerbaijanis will not have such chances to work and earn such money in Georgia, in Turkey or in America.

- Do you think Medvedev's policy will differ from Putin's in this sense?

- I do not think the policy will chance and Medvedev's course will differ greatly from that of Putin.

- Medvedev stated on the first day of his official visit to Baku that Azerbaijan is Russia's  strategic partner in the South Caucasus, through previously the status wholly belonged to Armenia. Does it prove changes in the Kremlin's assessment of the situation in the region?

- On the whole, it was our then working popular front leadership, who turned its back to Russia, accusing the stealing Yeltsin's leadership and pretending to be offended.Both Russia and Azerbaijan did not gain anything from it.

- What are your expectations from the first visit of the new Russian president to Azerbaijan?

- On the whole, I consider that the closer are the economic, political and military contacts of Azerbaijan with neighbor countries, including Iran, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, the better it would be for Azerbaijan.

/Day.Az/