'Russia And Iran Benefit:' Former U.S. Ambassador Dissects 'Deteriorating' Azerbaijan-West Relations

Richard Kauzlarich, the former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, predicts relations between the West and Azerbaijan will deteriorate further this year "because of the political oppression connected with the snap elections and Baku’s sabotage of the U.S. and EU mediation efforts on Karabakh," as he put it, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"Russia and Iran benefit from this deterioration... [President ilham] Aliyev believes he can ignore Washington's pressure for reforms and peace," Kauzlarich, who served as Bill Clinton's ambassador to Azerbaijan (1994–1997), told TURAN Wednesday.

Speaking on Karabakh, the former ambassador said he sees no movement toward a substantive peace process in 2024. "Nothing will happen before the Azerbaijan Presidential elections in February. Then Azerbaijan will be in the middle of the planning process for hosting COP29 in November. No diplomatic process could begin before the end of 2024," he said.

He went on to add, "The border issue distracts from the real reason: Azerbaijan does not want to negotiate a "durable and dignified" peace agreement with Armenia. Baku wants to impose its idea of peace."

As for the February snap elections, Kauzlarich said, they will "follow the pattern of previous elections." 

"They will be neither free nor fair. Aliyev will win – that is preordained. I regret that they are an excuse for continued human rights violations," he concluded.