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Sergei Markov: â€œThere will not be change in the solution of Karabakh problem in near futureâ€ â€“ EXCLUSIVE

Sergei Markov: â€œThere will not be change in the solution of Karabakh problem in near futureâ€ â€“ <font color=red>EXCLUSIVE </font>

09 December 2009 10:09 (UTC +04:00)

Moscow. Roman Agayev â€“ APA. Member of Russian State Duma, Director of Political Research Institute, political scientist Sergei Markovâ€™s interview to APA

- What results could be expected from the US-Turkish talks in Washington?

- I think, first of all, at the US-Turkish negotiations leaders of both countries tried to coordinate their policies in the Middle East, where the situation is very tight with the developments in Iraq, forming the independent Kurdistan, Iranâ€™s nuclear program, probability of Iran-Israel war. All these issues concern Turkey and it should coordinate its policy in this region with the United States because there is deep discord between them.

There is another problem too. The problem is that Turkey is gradually getting out of the US influence. The United States was solving the Turkeyâ€™s problems in the past 50 years and was a guarantor of its security and stability. But in recent 8-10 years US rarely addresses the Turkeyâ€™s problems and even creates problems for Turkey such as intervention in Iraq, strong position against Iran and forcing this country to produce nuclear weapon. The United States executed Saddam Hussein, who had no nuclear weapon, but it conducts negotiations with North Korea, which had a nuclear weapon. What can Iranians reason? They think if we have A-bomb everything will be normal, otherwise they will bomb us and execute the countryâ€™s leaders. All these are the problems for Turkey and it gets out of the US influence. But the United States intends to stop these processes. Turkey conducts this process not radically, but slowly, accurately, calmly and in manageable manner. New Turkey is born before our eyes and it has not received necessary value yet. Russia is looking forward to establish maximum good relations with new Turkey and even to see it in the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. I consider that only within this union Turkey can benefit from its economic opportunities. A realist and objective way of Turkeyâ€™s integration into Europe passes not through sleeping in front of European gates, but through bypassing it and creating maximum cooperation wit Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and other post-Soviet countries and achieving rapid development and gradually establishing more united and larger Europe.

-The important component of Obama-Erdogan dialogue was Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the statements made there on this issue. Can the new Turkey that you are speaking about play the role of catalyst in the solution to Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict?

-I think there will be no improvement in the Karabakh problem soon, nothing will change. The political situation has not undergone principled changes. The normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations is observed. But it remains open whether this will increase the role of Turkey. For the present the positions of Azerbaijan and Armenia on Nagorno Karabakh are so remote that I do not think the approximation is real in the near future. Sooner or later this problem will be solved like all problems. But much should change and too much work should be done so that the problem is solved.