BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 22. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's visit to the South Caucasus countries was mainly focused on supporting Armenia, Azerbaijani expert Arzuman Abdulkarimov told Trend.
He noted that Azerbaijan's interests do not involve NATO membership.
"Our country takes part in numerous NATO drills and activities, and peacekeeping forces represent us in various areas. We have very strong military cooperation with Türkiye, the second-largest NATO member state," the expert said.
According to Abdulkarimov, Armenia's recent political orientation towards the West suggests that Stoltenberg's visit was aimed at supporting Armenia.
"According to available information, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, US Secretary of State Blinken, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will hold a trilateral meeting in Brussels. The organization of such a meeting in Brussels following Stoltenberg's visit appears to be a predetermined choice.
In this context, Armenia's participation in the meeting has the potential to escalate regional tensions. The situation on the Ukrainian front is already evolving into a collective conflict between the West, NATO, and Russia," he said.
The expert also cautioned that Armenia's contacts could lead to instability in the South Caucasus.
"Armenia's participation in discussions in Brussels sends an open statement to Russia. This can be quite irritating to Russia. Armenia has forces that support Russia. In the future, Armenia may suffer severe instability. Russia will not be passive in these affairs. As a result of such action, Armenia may disappear from the political map," he added.
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