Experts on Aliyev's visit to Moscow

Baku/22.02.22/Turan: President Ilham Aliyev is on an official visit to Moscow.

According to the Kremlin website, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will hold talks on February 22.

The result of the talks will be the signing of the "Declaration on Mutual Allied Activities between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation".

Media reports close to the government say that preparations for the signing of this Declaration have been going on for a long time.

However, some experts believe that the "Shusha Declaration" signed between Azerbaijan and Turkey and the processes around Ukraine disturb Russia, so it intends to bring Azerbaijan into its sphere of influence.

Elshad Mirbashir ogly, a member of the Milli Majlis Committee on Defense, Security and Anti-Corruption, told Turan that the Russian-Azerbaijani relations are of a strategic partnership. "The President of Russia has repeatedly stressed this. It is with Russia that Azerbaijan has the most developed system of relations among the post-Soviet countries."

The committee member pointed out that within the framework of the Azerbaijani President's visit to Russia, the parties will discuss political, economic, trade and other issues. "They will also discuss steps taken in accord with the three documents signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the mediation of Russia."

The deputy does not think that Russia shows no alarming view of Azerbaijan's relations with other countries. "Because we have repeatedly stated and demonstrated in our behavior that the development of Azerbaijan's relations with other countries is in no way directed against another country and specifically against Russia. Azerbaijan and a third of the European Union member states maintain a strategic partnership. In no case Russia has ever expressed its concern over this issue.

When it comes to Azerbaijan's position amid tensions in Russian-Ukrainian relations, according to Mirbashir oglu, it has established quite constructive relations with Ukraine as well. "Azerbaijan's relations with any country do not disturb Russia in any form. The most important principle that Azerbaijan upholds in its foreign policy today is precisely non-alignment. Also, Azerbaijan is one of the most active members of the Non-Aligned Movement. If there are tensions between the two countries, I don't think Azerbaijan will support one side."

Political commentator Azer Gasymly noted that Ilham Aliyev went to Moscow unexpectedly. "If this meeting was planned, why didn't they announce it in advance? And secondly, if the signing of any document was planned in advance, why wasn't it discussed in the Azerbaijani public, the Parliament? Without any discussion, considering the Azerbaijani public negligible, Ilham Aliyev will go to Moscow and sign the document.

He believes that it is too early to talk about it, not knowing what the document consists of. "But I think that along with the main theses of the November 10 statement agreed with Putin before the 44-day war, this declaration will also confirm other issues that are still unknown to Azerbaijani society. These issues were most likely agreed upon in advance. They simply outlined their framework and reached the stage of signing.

The expert said that the signing of this document at a time of tension in relations with Ukraine and the fact that the West has Russia up against the wall shows that this is Vladimir Putin's decision. "Ilham Aliyev was simply told that we have made a decision and it has to be signed. And this means that after the statement signed on November 10, 2020, the Azerbaijani government is already directly under the influence of Russia, the foreign policy of Azerbaijan is not fully independent and is, one might say, under the control of Russia."

According to the politician, Azerbaijan's foreign policy with Russia should provide for withdrawal of the Russian military contingent from Karabakh. "Nagorno-Karabakh should be recognized as an integral part of Azerbaijan, it should not interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan should conduct its independent foreign policy, sign the Association Agreement with Europe in line with its national interests and be open to the world. But in return, if Russia needs in principle Azerbaijan to remain militarily neutral, so that there are no military bases of any country in the territory of Azerbaijan, then Azerbaijan must agree to this.-0-