‘Balanced policy difficult for Azerbaijani government’
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to visit Azerbaijan on June 23. In recent days, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Kara McDonald have visited Azerbaijan. Is it a coincidence that Lavrov’s visit was announced immediately after that? Why is Lavrov coming?
Sabir Rustamkhanli, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and Interparliamentary Relations, told Turan that NATO is expanding in the region, major powers are expanding their sphere of influence: “Lavrov’s visit to Azerbaijan after his visits to Turkey and Armenia is coming. “
Elkhan Shahinoglu, head of the Atlas Research Center, also told RFE / RL that Lavrov had recently left for Yerevan and should return to Baku to avoid upsetting the balance. At the same time, he believes that Moscow is concerned about the recent intensification of the European Union and the United States in the South Caucasus. The European Union and the United States use them in a good way. “
He says that the number of European and American diplomats visiting the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, in the last four months is higher than the number of diplomats from Russia: “Almost every week, Ilham Aliyev receives a delegation from Europe and America. Russia can’t follow him. “
According to him, this shows that the South Caucasus is no longer Russia’s backyard, as it was in the recent past: “After the Second Karabakh War, Turkey became stronger here. Russia cannot be interested in this either. But Russia is even more jealous of the deployment of the United States and European countries in the region. “
The political commentator noted that there are already three other players in the region besides Russia – Turkey, the United States and the European Union. This also irritates Moscow. That is why Lavrov will come to Baku. But we should not expect positive results from his meetings in Baku. “
Political commentator Azer Gasimli also told RFE / RL that the war in Ukraine has led to US and European Union activism in the South Caucasus. has started an active policy. “
According to him, in this case, it is very difficult for the Azerbaijani government to implement the previously balanced policy: “Russia, of course, understands this. He does not want to leave the South Caucasus to the West. Of course, the frequent visits of US diplomats to Azerbaijan cannot but worry Russia. Lavrov’s arrival is connected with the fact that Ilham Aliyev will be warned again in diplomatic language.
The political scientist noted that a serious struggle is beginning for the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan.
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