From the "observation point" to the F-35s

Despite Russia's insistence that "Turkey will not be among the peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh", the Minister of National Defense, Hulusi Akar, said that Turkey is and will continue to be there after the victory in the military operations: “Where is Turkey? Turkey is right there. Both at the table and in the field. There is no question of "I came, everything is over".”

This determination of the Turkish army is an organic continuation of the processes that began after July 12, and the political authorities are showing the same determination. Another point that draws attention in the statements of Minister Akar is that he expressed readiness to discuss the issue of "harmonious work" between S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, which was imported from Russia in June 2019 and tested for the first time last month in the Sinop region on the Black Sea coast, and F-35 missiles of the United States and resolve concerns. As it is known, despite the insistence and pressure of Washington and NATO, Turkey did not give up buying S-400 missiles, and in response, the United States included Turkey in the list of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

After the overwhelming victory of Azerbaijan, while statements between Turkey and Russia in the form of "There will be no Turkish servicemen in the peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh" (Russia's firm position) and "We are right there" (Turkey's position) followed each other, what can the fact that Minister Akar raised the issue of S-400 and F-35 indicate?

• Will we continue to buy S-400 from Russia? If so, is Washington being told, "Don't get upset, we're ready to work with you too"?
• Despite accusations that Azerbaijan "brought jihadists to the region" during its military operations to liberate its lands from separatists, terrorists, and those who carried out a genocide, could the signing of other agreements on the sale of S-400s be one of the reasons for Moscow's long silence on Turkey's continued moral support for operations without giving up its determination?
• Despite the fact that it is not possible to create a "harmonious function" between the F-35 and the S-400, and despite Washington's unconditional rejection of S-400 imports from the beginning, why did Minister Akar feel the need to explain that they were "ready to discuss the S-400 and the F-35 for a harmonious function", especially after Azerbaijan's overwhelming victory and when he declared that "Turkey is and will be there"?
• Earlier, Russia announced that Ankara and Moscow had signed two agreements on the sale of S-400 missiles. How will this affect relations between the two old NATO allies after the statement of the Turkish Minister of National Defense if Turkey continues to buy missiles from Russia despite Washington's rejection?
• And finally: the Minister of National Defense, Akar, also announced that Turkey and Russia will hold detailed discussions with the Russian delegation to discuss the terms of cooperation in the region. The question is: If we are talking about the presence of Turkish troops along with the "peacekeeping" Russian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, and if Russia has already sent the most modern weapons and troops to build a military base there, under what conditions will Turkey go to the places where the "peacekeepers" are? We are not pessimistic, but it should be noted that the delegations from Moscow to Ankara also went to discuss the so-called "observation mission" in Idlib (from Ankara to Moscow too), and the 1.5-year talks resulted in the killing of 57 Turkish soldiers by Russian forces in the region.

The successful conclusion of "observation cooperation" this time should be the dream of all of us.

Mayis Alizade