Today.Az » Politics » Azerbaijani MP: New level of Russia-Turkey-Azerbaijan cooperation may neutralize Armenia's anti-Azerbaijan position
14 January 2010 [11:50] - Today.Az
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.
Z. Ahmadov
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