Foreign

Home page

Foreign

US analyst Michael Gunter: â€œAzerbaijan could be the facilitator of US-Russian cooperation in the Caucasusâ€

08 September 2011 09:34 (UTC +04:00)

â€œThe UN GA has always been the UN format for discussing frozen conflicts, while the Security Council is the place to discuss more immediate, pressing onesâ€, he told APAâ€™s Washington DC correspondent while commenting on possible discussions regarding the Karabakh conflict during the Assemblyâ€™s upcoming 66th sessions.

â€œI think it is good to remind the world of the continuing Nagorno-Karabakh problem, but I see little hope of a peaceful settlement in the near futureâ€, he mentioned.

Nevertheless, Prof. Gunter believes that the West should play a strong role because it bears the overall primary influence in the world today for international stability.

Asked what are the main differences between the Russian and Western approaches to the former Soviet republics, the analyst underscored that, the West has no such special claims to them.

â€œRussia of course looks upon the former Soviet republics as itâ€™s near abroad or areas of special interest. This is sort of like Russiaâ€™s Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine was an American doctrine that gave the US a special role in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and was even mentioned in Article 21 of the Covenant of the League of Nationsâ€, he added.

In the meanwhile, when it comes to the Russia-US cooperation, the analyst says it is in long-term interests of Washington and Moscow to cooperate, â€œbut in the short term they both are often tempted not to for their own short term advantagesâ€.

What is Azerbaijanâ€™s role in this cooperation then? â€œIn principle, Azerbaijan could be the facilitator of US-Russian cooperation in the Caucasusâ€, Mr. Gunter says.