Yerevan/13.08.13/Turan-ArmInfo: It is too early to speak about the transition to a new strategy for the South Caucasus in relation to Russia. If the Georgian situation is more or less clear, at least in the short term, there is not complete clearness on Armenia and Azerbaijan. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo executive director of political studies "North-South" (Moscow) Alexei Vlasov, in response to a question, on whether the visit of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, to Azerbaijan is the beginning of a new strategy of Moscow towards Azerbaijan and the region as a whole.
"The Kremlin annoyed by the actions of Yerevan through the Agreement on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) between the EU and Armenia, and "balances" this irritation by "prior" visit to Baku. But for a full turn toward rapprochement with Azerbaijan, there are no fundamental preconditions," the expert said.
Vlasov believes that it is possible to change the balance in favor of partnership with Baku in the energy and military-technical sphere. However, so far, these steps do not mean the final break with the old priorities. "I think that Putin decided to find the answer to a question that may have been left open by his advisers - Who is mister Aliyev? Under the current, rapidly changing regional realities," summed up Vlasov.
Last week, the negotiations on the Agreement on the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) between the EU and Armenia were completed. The agreement is part of the Association Agreement between the EU and the countries of the "Eastern Partnership". The final communiqué stated that the free trade zone will be an important step towards the harmonization of the rules of the game in the trade and economic relations between the EU and Armenia, and facilitate conditions for access of Armenian products to the EU market. Moreover, Armenia will form a road map for the modernization of key industries with the active participation of the European Union. -02D-
Politics
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On December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory message to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.
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The U.S. Embassy responded to the host of the "Həftə" ("Week") program, who once again accused the United States of pursuing an anti-Azerbaijani policy, using undiplomatic language.
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On Monday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, who is currently on a working visit to Belgrade, was received by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service, during the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction with the "strategic partnership between the two countries" and emphasized the importance of mutual high-level visits.
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On December 23, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Serbia took place in Belgrade. During the final press conference, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric reported that the discussions focused on the development of tourism. "We are strengthening efforts to open direct air routes, as well as economic development and energy," said Djuric. The minister expressed confidence that cooperation between Serbia and Azerbaijan would become even closer and more intensive in the near future.
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