USA TRY TO FORCE TURKEY OUT OF SOUTH CAUCASUS AS UNNECESSARY COMPETITOR: RUSSIAN EXPERT
ArmInfo
2008-11-11 16:40:00
ArmInfo. ‘The American troops have secured in the region and Washington
does not need strong Turkey as a conductor of the American policy in
the East any more. Consequently, the possibilities of maneuver in the
Near East reduce for Ankara, and Washington tries to force it out as
unnecessary competitor’, expert of the Strategic Russian Foundation
Andrey Areshev told ArmInfo.
‘Choice of the Caucasian direction may be used by the Turkish elite
as a consolidating factor: currently, the Transcaucasus is just the
region where Ankara may carry out an independent national policy
free f the West’s pressure, on one hand, and a political Islam,
on the other hand’, he said.
A. Areshev added that Ankara has a controlled ally – Azerbaijan, as
well as Georgia which, in virtue of the Georgian statehood crisis,
passed to the maximum rapprochement with Turkey. In this context,
Ankara had to correctly determine the moment when it would be possible
to involve the "problem" Armenia and its old competitor in the Caucasus
– Russia in the orbit of the Turkish policy. ‘Fundamental changes
in the South Caucasus after a ‘five-day war’ were used by Turkey to
make reorientation of its foreign policy. It was clear at the height
of the conflict that Ankara intends to play a more serious part in
the Caucasus than before’, the expert resumed.