Baku does not avail of potential of civil society to normalize relations between Armenians and Azerbaijanis

Baku/11.08.22/Turan: Situation in and around Karabakh, possible processes in Russia after war in Ukraine, geopolitical plans of Turkey - these issues were discussed at the regular meeting of Public Karabakh Council (KC) on August 9.

According to the press release, the participants of the discussions rejected the probability of Russia's complete collapse as a result of aggression against Ukraine. Though the loss of Kaliningrad, Kurils, Crimea and Chechnya is not excluded.

However, the real federalization of Russia carries the danger of further disintegration in the event of a sociopolitical crisis. Suffice it to recall that the global crisis of the world socialist system caused such federal states as Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the USSR to fall apart.

With a new round of crisis in Russia, which will come after the war in Ukraine, the leaders of Russia's rich raw material regions may want to dispose of their resources themselves rather than give them to Moscow.

As for the events in Karabakh, it was noted that after the situation around the new Lachin road is resolved, the issue of the complete withdrawal of Armenian armed formations from Karabakh and the return of the Azerbaijani population to the territory where Russian peacekeepers are deployed is on the agenda.

As for the role of Russia in the region, it was pointed out that the frontier forces of the Federal Security Service of Russia took the strip of the Zangezur corridor under the control in keeping with the intergovernmental agreement between Armenia and Russia of 1992. The railroad in Syunik is just a part of the border line guarded by the Russian troops.  The events in Syunik overlap with those in Karabakh, where peacekeepers are forced to restore order, reminding the Armenian side of the need to fulfill its obligations.

The positions of Baku and Moscow coincide on the issue of Lachin and Zangezur. That's why, overnight all Armenian conscripts were put into buses and taken from Karabakh to Yerevan, where soldiers were announced about their early demobilization.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani armed forces took control of the four dominant heights around Lachin. 

The processes in Karabakh do not rule out the possibility of Armenians and Azerbaijanis living together; however, the number of Armenians may be low.

Russia will not spoil relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan because of the separatists. Turkey, on the other hand, is building its relations with Armenia, coordinating them 100% with Azerbaijan.

There were also clear signs of tensions in Turkey's relations with its NATO allies due to Ankara's deepening partnership with Moscow.

Even a possible change of government in Turkey after the 2023 elections would not bring radical changes in the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations which would remain strategic.

When it comes to relations with the West, Turkey will pursue a more coordinated policy. At the next meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Turkey and Azerbaijan may receive observer status.

The subject of Turkic unity is becoming urgent in Central Asia, with Uzbekistan taking the lead and Turkmenistan shifting towards more active foreign policy relationship with its neighbors.

Participants of the discussions separately discussed the subject of peacemaking activities to normalize relations between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Criticism was voiced towards the Azerbaijani authorities which do not use public channels to explain to the Karabakh Armenian population the specific conditions of their living in the country.

Why don't the authorities raise the issue of allowing representatives of Azerbaijani civil society to contact and cooperate with representatives of Karabakh Armenian civil society? Why haven't the Azerbaijani authorities publicly invited the Armenian residents of Lachin and Zabukh to stay in Azerbaijan and start living together with their Azerbaijani neighbors?

"Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani authorities do not feel the need for discussing these issues with civil society representatives and are not engaged in a dialogue that could help find alternative, civilizational ways to address many issues," the KC press release concludes. -06В-