Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 3
By Seba Aghayeva – Trend:
Azerbaijan is important for Russia in all spheres of cooperation - economic, military-political, humanitarian and strategic ones - both at the regional and international level, Grigory Trofimchuk, chairman of the Expert Council of the Workshop of Eurasian Ideas Research Support Foundation, said.
Trofimchuk, who is also a political scientist, made the remarks Apr. 3 in Baku at a round table meeting titled “Russia-Azerbaijan: 25 Years of Diplomatic Relations. Partnership Strategy.”
“We would like that the past years become a solid foundation, a new start for future Azerbaijani-Russian relations, and not a symbol of fading post-Soviet friendship,” Trofimchuk said.
He added that Baku is more of a global partner of Moscow than a regional one, and Moscow has much to learn from Baku, especially in the confessional sphere, where Moscow has some problems.
“Russia should understand the importance of Azerbaijan as one of the key figures of the Turkic world,” said Trofimchuk.
He added that Russia needs to learn from Azerbaijan how to establish closer contacts with the Turkic countries.
He noted that following the recent escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a dangerous and uncertain situation has emerged there, and Moscow should control this situation.
“At the same time, it is Baku that is striving for compromises in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s issue, including the creation of Armenia-Azerbaijan Platform for Peace and the willingness to discuss the status of Nagorno-Karabakh region,” the expert said.
Trofimchuk added that the coming years will not be easy, as currently there is a threat of destabilization of the South Caucasus region and other complex regional developments, given the concentration of unresolved problems in the post-Soviet space.
He noted the importance attached to the Russian language in Azerbaijan.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Asebaa