RUSSIAN POLITICAL EXPERT: THE KREMLIN IS ANGRY WITH YEREVAN’S ACTIONS ON THE AGREEMENT WITH THE EU, AND “IS BALANCING” ITS IRRITATION BY THE
” top priority” visit to Baku
by David Stepanyan
ARMINFO
Tuesday, August 13, 16:44
It is still early to speak about Russia’s transition to the new
strategy in the South Caucasus. If the situation is more or less
clear regarding Georgia, at least for a short period of time, there
is still no full clarity regarding Armenia and Azerbaijan, executive
director of the political centre “North-South” (Moscow), Aleksey
Vlasov, told Arminfo correspondent when replying to the question if
President Putin’s visit to Azerbaijan will mean the beginning of the
new strategy of Moscow regarding Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus
region in general.
“The Kremlin is angry with Yerevan’s actions on the DCFRA agreement
between the EU and Armenia, and “is balancing” its irritation by the ”
top priority” visit to Baku. But there is no fundamental pre-conditions
for the fully=fledged turning towards rapprochement with Azerbaijan”,
– the expert said.
Vlasov thinks that certainly one can seriously move the balance
towards the partnership with Baku in the energy and military and
technical sphere. However, these steps do not yet mean final making
a break with former priorities. “I think that in the present quickly
changing regional realities, Putin himself has decided to find an
answer to the question “Who Mr Aliyev is?”, which his advisers have
not manage to do”, – Vlasov concluded.