Alexei Vlasov exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
My colleagues, Azerbaijani journalists, shot many questions at me after appearance of reports on the Qabala radar station: does freezing negotiations (some say about their ceasing) mean worsening of Russian-Azerbaijani relations? I answer the question decisively - I think nothing bad has happened. Russian-Azerbaijani relations have much more important topics for discussion than Qabala. However, it is high time for both countries to define priorities and discuss at the high level the further strategy of development of bilateral relations. I would like to emphasize that Qabala is only one of the issues which are included into the agenda.
I don't know whether environmental issues or development of a landscape and park area determined the position of official Baku. I admit that there can be various views, considering the fact that Russia and Azerbaijan are full of people who love "conspiracy theories." In addition I cannot say that for Russia losing of the Qabala RLS will mean weakening of "the security umbrella." I have to rely on opinions of Russian experts and specialists in the military sphere. According to them, the situation over Qabala is not vital for Russia.
However, it was a kind of a symbol of cooperation between two countries in the military sphere. Of course there are certain losses, including image losses, for both sides. But who should be blamed for this? And why do they give apocalyptic predictions that Moscow and Baku will experience dramatic cooling in bilateral relations? At the moment we know only one thing - negotiators couldn't rich a necessary level of agreement in this issue, but it wasn't eliminated from the agenda.
Moreover, it cannot be ripped out of the wide context of the Russian-Azerbaijani dialogue. My prediction is the following: when Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev meet, the presidents will voice a complete version of the future of the Qabala RLS. But it is not an isolated from other topics question. It is a part of the strategic partnership between Russia and Azerbaijan.
I don't believe it is a sign of a crisis between Moscow and Baku. Yes, there are some problems, but they have always existed, like in any relations between serious partners. The more contact points we have, the more issues we have to coordinate. Any coordination demands time and patience.
