Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 14 / Trend R. Hafizoglu /
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, Sinan Ogan, head of the Turkish Center for International Relations and Strategic Analysis Turksam said.
"Now one can say that the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh problem has been already agreed with Moscow and Ankara," Ogan told Trend over phone from Moscow.
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 problem of Nagorno-Karabakh, 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.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's statement that the Armenian-Turkish problems and the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement are not connected between each other, should be taken for granted, Ogan said.
He said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Yerevan testifies that Moscow pays much attention to these issues.
However, despite the fact that Ankara and Moscow are united in their desire to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russia is unlikely to put pressure on Armenia, trying to get progress from it in this issue.
"Russia is historically linked with Armenia by closer ties than with Turkey," he said.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az
