Vladimir Putin’s visit to Baku is a resounding slap in Armenia’s face - COMMENT

Baku. 29 September. REPORT.AZ/ August and September were marked by enlivening in the domestic and foreign policy, military, cultural and sporting life of Azerbaijan.

On August 10, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon paid an official visit to Azerbaijan and the two countries signed a number of documents.

On August 12, the Fifth top summit of the heads of Caspian littoral states was held in Kazakhstan’s Aktau and the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea was signed. The document was signed by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and President of Turkmenistan Gurbangulu Berdimukhammedov.

German chancellor Angela Merkel visited Baku on August 25 as part of her South Caucasus trip and discussed bilateral and regional issues.

The 6th Top Summit of the Turkic-speaking States Cooperation Council was held in Cholpon-Ata city of Kyrgyzstan on September 3. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the top summit.

Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman visited Azerbaijan on September 13. By the way, the neighbor states did not conceal their concerns about his stay in the country for several days. Because the fact that the Israeli minister did not visit Armenia was noted with concern in the Armenian media outlets.

A parade dedicated to the 100th anniversary of liberation of Baku from Dashnak-Bolshevik occupation was held on September 15 with the participation of Azerbaijani and Turkish military. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Azerbaijan to attend the ceremony.

Austrian vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache held a number of official meetings and discussed energy issues in Baku on September 18.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Goettemueller and Chairman of the Atlantic Alliance Parliamentary Assembly Paolo Alli visited Azerbaijan on September 20, discussed cooperation, regional and global problems with country’s officials.

Molgolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga visited Baku on September 24.

First Vice President of the Azerbaijan Republic Mehriban Aliyeva paid an official visit to Italu on September 25-26.

The World Judo Championship was held in Baku on September 20-27.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga together watched the last day of the competitions.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Azerbaijan on September 27. The visit took place at President Ilham Aliyev’s invitation voiced during the bilateral meeting with the Russian counterpart in Sochi on September 1.

The intensive negotiations between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia testify to the high level of relations between the two countries. This is also proven by the economic and trade relations between Baku and Moscow.

Notably, the two countries signed 16 documents in a number of fields during President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Sochi. The commodity turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia grew by 35% last year to $2.5bn. The five roadmaps on a number of spheres of economic cooperation by results of Sochi negotiations will help to further increase the commodity turnover and intensify the integration relations. The cost of the military products purchased from Russia exceeds $5 bn.

The sides also develop cooperation in energy sector. In line with the agreement reached in Sochi, Russia and Azerbaijan will join efforts to explore the oil and gas reserves in the Goshadash block, the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea shelf, and the north of the Absheron peninsula.

Russia is represented in Azerbaijan’s economy not only by such energy companies as Gazprom, LUKOIL, Transneft, but also by KamAZ, as well as R-Farm enterprise that produces medical preparations.

Azerbaijan is one of the states that hold an active work in fight against terror. Official Baku maintains broad cooperation with the Kremlin in this direction. Azerbaijan-Russia relations also contribute to the global war on terror. The two countries also maintain mutual cooperation in anti-terror operations in Syria.

Official Baku increases attention to regional cooperation which is proven by Azerbaijan’s trilateral and four-partite cooperation with Turkey, Russia, Iran, Georgia and Pakistan. The Azerbaijan-Russia-Iran summit is held beginning from 2016. By the way the next meeting in this format is due in Moscow by the end of the year. The official opening ceremony of the 9th Azerbaijan-Russia Interregional Forum was held at the Heydar Aliyev Center on September 27. The ceremony was attended by President of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin who spoke during the event.

Speaking of the importance of the forum President Ilham Aliyev said he meets regularly with the Russian President beginning from 2010: “This is the 9th forum. Next year it will be a jubilee forum. We are glad that the first forum which gave an impetus to a very active interregional cooperation was held in Azerbaijan. The complete occupation of this hall seating a thousand of people proves a great interest shown in this forum.”

The head of state noted that over the past five years Vladimir Putin paid four visits to Azerbaijan: “I would like to stress that this is the fourth visit of Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin to Azerbaijan in the past five years. I also pay regular visits to Russia, which is a bright example of our partnership, friendly and good neighborly relations between our countries.”

Notably, the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia met four times in four months of this year.

The President of Azerbaijan also stressed the broadening of ties between the two countries in the economic, trade, social, cultural and humanitarian spheres: “Almost 700,000 Russian citizens have visited Azerbaijan in the 9-month period which is not yet over.”

Drawing attention to cultural and humanitarian relations, President Ilham Aliyev said that Baku will host the next Humanitarian Forum under the auspices of the Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents in October: “This international forum has already turned into an important global platform for discussions of humanitarian issues, intercultural dialogue and interregional ties. 341 schools where classes are held in the Russian language, the branches of the Moscow State University and Medical University named after Sechenov, which are the leading universities of Russia, function in Azerbaijan.”

Noting the good cooperation and prospects in the banking sector, the President said that such a big Russian bank as VTB functions in Azerbaijan: “By the way, Azerbaijan is the major foreign shareholder in this bank. Gazprombank has recently funded a large industrial project estimated at more than $400 mln.”

Vladimir Putin also stressed the high level of ties between the two countries. He said the economic ties between Azerbaijan and Russia are expanding: “Interregional relations form an important part of our interstate relations. Approximately 70 regions of the Russian Federation work closely with Azerbaijani regions. The leaders here are certainly the Moscow province, Saint Petersburg, and not only them but also Stavropol, Krasnodar, Astrakhan, Nijeqorod, Chelyabinsk, Volgograd, Saratov and Sverdlovsk.

Speaking in general about the Russia-Azerbaijan relations, I would like to note that the relations between our people are definitely built on the principles of good-neighborliness and mutual respect. We always search for balance of interests and we find it.”

He noted that nearly 700 joint companies with Russian participation function in the Azerbaijani market: “The total volume of direct Russian investments exceeds $1.5 bn. The Russia-Azerbaijan Business Council plays a great role in the development of mutual effective business ties. Last year alone this council supported 42 joint projects estimated at nearly $0.5 bn. Russian energy companies work successfully in Azerbaijan. It has already been noted that Rosneft jointly with Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company will soon start exploration and development of the Goshadagh oil and gas field. LUKoil has invested nearly $4 bn in energy projects in Azerbaijan. It was also mentioned here. Transneft, our future monopoly in oil transportation, ensures a reliable transit of Azerbaijani oil through the Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline.”

The meeting of the Azerbaijani and Russian presidents also testifies to the priority given to the strengthening of the regional ties. The development of such relations has a positive impact on the development of interstate security, economic, political, social and cultural spheres. No doubt that the normal regional relations also attract the attention of off-regional states.

Another point is that hopes are laid for assistance of Russia, as the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, in the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from occupation.

Armenia is certainly the main country that does not want the relations between Azerbaijan and Russia to develop.

It should be noted that Yerevan, especially Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, expected the Russian President to visit Armenia either in the end of the year or in the beginning of the next year. However, the uncertainly around the visit continues and causes concern in Armenia. This concern is reflected in Armenian media. They state that Pashinyan fears the crisis that may arise in Armenia-Russia relations and does not trust Putin. To our mind, this attitude shows the level of relations between Armenia and Russia.

The uncertainly around the date of Vladimir Putin’s visit to this country shows that Moscow also does not trust Yerevan. Kremlin seems to be discontented with the attempts of Armenian state officials to arrange Pashinyan’s meeting with US President Donald Trump. Therefore, by creating uncertainty around Putin’s visit to Yerevan, they showed official Yerevan its place. Russian President’s visit to Baku was a resounding slap in the face of the Armenian government.

Meanwhile, Pashinyan is able neither to meet Trump nor to host Putin in his country. This can be viewed as a serious moral and political blow to those who came to power in Armenia. If the Russian President has visited Armenia, he would have shown his support to Nikol Nashinyan. And Pashinyan’s supporters would use this fact in their propaganda. This would also be a blow to Russia’s supporters in Armenia. We believe that such factors hindered the visit. It is possible to suppose that such a visit may take place following the extraordinary parliamentary elections in Armenia.

Developments show that Azerbaijan is a more reliable partner for official Moscow. Mutual Azerbaijan-Russia cooperation can be useful for both the two countries and the region. The further deepening of these relations certainly lies through the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh from occupation.