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Political analyst Vyacheslav Nikonov: â€œRussia cannot play a crucial role in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflictâ€

22 June 2009 10:28 (UTC +04:00)

Moscow. R. Metleboglu â€“ APA. â€œRussia bases on the obvious principle in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict â€“ Moscow will support the variant that will satisfy both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Such a solution has not been found yet and of course Russia can not support of the parties,â€ president of â€œPoliticsâ€ Fund, executive director of the â€œRusskiy Mirâ€ foundation, outstanding political analyst Vyacheslav Nikonov told APA exclusively. He considers that Russiaâ€™s position does not differ from that of the other members of OSCE Minsk Group, including the US.
â€œOf course we are interested in the solution to the conflict, but we can not solve the problem in stead of others. Russia wants problem neither with Yerevan nor with Baku. Of course there are big Diaspora organizations in Russia, there is certain status-quo, elimination of the status-quo may violate the stability. Moscow can not play a crucial role in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,â€ he said.

Vyacheslav Nikonov commented on Russiaâ€™s position on Nabucco project.
â€œIt is clear that Moscow can not take a liking for any oil and gas projects that are implemented near the borders of Russia, but do not pass through its territory. On the other hand, Russia recognizes other statesâ€™ right to pursue independent energy policy. But if according to this policy, pipelines bypass Russia, it means that political not economic interests are taken into account and Moscow can not support such ideas. In the initial variant, Nabucco was regarded as an alternative to Gazprom. We are not against this pipeline. You can construct this pipeline, if there is gas for the pipeline and funds for its construction,â€ he said.

Nikonov does not consider Russia and Azerbaijan reliable allies.
â€œGenerally, the notion of reliable allies is a relative one. Russia has certain weight in CIS area. But as you see, even Russiaâ€™s relations with Belarus are not without problems. Whom can we call a reliable ally â€“ England and France, or Germany and Poland? Of course not. Surely Russia and Azerbaijan are strategic allies in a number of issues. But speaking of allies, these are the members of Collective Security Treaty Organization, not Azerbaijan. Anyway Azerbaijan is also an important partner and strategically important country for Russia,â€ he said.