Not statements, but topics were signidficant during Putin's visit, T. Zulfugarov

Baku / 28.09.18 / Turan: Russia is a neighbor of Azerbaijan and this reality must be accepted. Azerbaijan should build relations with Russia taking into account its own interests and not ignoring the interests of its northern neighbor, said Tofig Zulfugarov, CRFPFK the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan in an interview with "Cətin sual" ("Difficult issue")program of Turan agency. Commenting on the results of the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Azerbaijan, Zulfugarov believes that the leaders of the two countries continued talks on issues that were raised at their Sochi meeting on September 1. He is convinced that the talks discussed rather important topics, which were not publicly announced. Characterizing the current state of the Azerbaijani-Russian relations, Zulfugarov noted the tendency of their strengthening, against the background of the weakening of the Armenian-Russian relations. Answering the question what impact this has on the economy and security of the region, Zulfugarov noted the strengthening of interregional cooperation when Azerbaijan becomes a major investor in Russian regions. On the other hand, the prospect of cooperation between the two countries at the global level is maturing, in particular, in the implementation of the North-South transport corridor. The sides are also developing military-technical cooperation and relations in the humanitarian sphere.

According to the ex-minister, security issues were one of the main topics at the talks between Putin-Aliyev, which is connected with the processes in the Middle East. Thus, at the final stage of the war in Syria, a serious problem is the neutralization of a huge number of ISIL fighters, most of whom are immigrants from the CIS countries.

In this context, the issues of cooperation in the field of security become particularly important. It worries Russia, Azerbaijan and other countries in the region, including Turkey and Iran, Zulfugarov said.

There is no doubt that during the visit of Putin, the Karabagh conflict was also discussed against the background of the actual freezing of the talks. Armenia tightens and radicalizes its position based on the guarantees of military security by the Russian Federation. If Russia's position changes, it will directly affect the settlement of the conflict. Therefore, this topic is raised at each summit meeting. "The current Russian-Armenian relations allow us to look forward with optimism," Zulfugarov said.

Referring to the September 26 meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in New York, Zulfugarov was skeptical about its results and, in general, the work of the OSCE Minsk Group. "We all understand that if there is no hope of negotiations, then war is inevitable. Perhaps this is the only way to restore justice," Zulfugarov said.-06D--