Azerbaijan, Baku, September 3 / Trend T. Hajiyev /
Russia must change its policy in the Caucasus with respect to territorial disputes in the region, the director of the Center for Policy Innovation and Technologies, political analyst Mubariz Ahmedoglu, said today at a press conference in Trend Agency.
"Russia's future depends on the Caucasus. At the same time, Russia is the largest state in the region. Therefore, the country must determine play by a single set of rules in the Caucasus. This should refer to both the Caucasus countries and countries with interests in the region . These rules must be the same for the North and South Caucasus," Ahmedoglu said.
Conflict arose between the two South Caucasus nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan 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 seven 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 negotiations to resolve the dispute.
Armenia has failed to implement UN Security Council resolutions stipulating the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.
In comments given today, Ahmedoglu touched on Russia's decision last week to extend the lease on a military base it operates in Armenia. He said that in extending the lease, Russia is bluffing Armenia.
"If one carefully examines the talks held by Armenia and Russia, the situation is quite different [from what it appears to be]. Armenia allows the Russians to have a base on its territory for a particular reason. The extension of the Russian lease in Armenia is a threat to Azerbaijan and Georgia, while Armenia will try to use the base as an anti-Azerbaijan factor for a long time," the political analyst said.
Russia and Armenia signed a protocol last week amending the 1995 bilateral agreement on the Gumri base, extending Moscow's lease by 24 years, RIA Novosti reported. The document was signed by the Armenian and Russian defense ministers.
The document was the result of talks between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. The 1995 lease was due to last 25 years. With the extension now signed, the lease will be valid for a total of 49 years (starting from1995).
Ahmedoglu said that this base is a factor that could work against Russia itself.
"Armenia pays for... the Russian base. Armenia can negotiate with the U.S. and suspend allocation of funds from the state budget to pay for Russian military bases, putting the latter [Russia] in a very awkward position," he said.
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