Today the West is losing interest in active cooperation with Azerbaijan and Armenia for various reasons, leaving Russia the only truly interested country in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, foreign participants of the 12th session of the International Discussion Club ‘Valdai’ said today in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza.
Professor of the Department of Political Science and head of the group of Geopolitical Studies at the University of Manitoba (Canada), Radhika Desai, recalled that earlier the West conducted a standard policy of ‘meeting a strong opponent and persuade neighboring countries to their side’ in relation to the two republics. But today the politics of the West is experiencing stagnation not only regarding Ukraine, but also the Caucasus. The West just has nothing to offer these countries, and if Russia continues to develop the real economy more actively, these countries will realize that they can face a promising future in close and friendly relations with Russia," she said.
The expert explained that stagnation in the Western foreign policy occurred due to stagnation in the economy. "The only sector of the economy which is developing now in Western Europe is the financial sector, which brings incomes to a very narrow circle of people. Ordinary people in the West have had the same wages for decades, the level of consumption isn’t increasing, and the market is very limited. Therefore, such countries such as Azerbaijan and Armenia cannot export their goods to Western markets and develop economic contacts with the West. At the same time, Russia has every chance to become a pole of attraction for the Caucasian republics. Moreover, they also have historical relations,’’ Radhika Desai said.
Famous British historian Dominic Lieven agrees with Radhika Desai. "The current attitude of Great Britain to the Caucasus should not be significant for these republics. The United Kingdom is not a great power, as it was in the past century. It cannot put pressure on this region. Certanly, Great Britain played an important role in Caucasian history, but it was a long time ago, like in the Balkans. When I was in the Caucasus, I was asked about the views of the UK, and I answered the same thing: you cannot always remember the times of World War II, and continue to think that Britain occupies the same place in the world,’’ Dominic Lieven said.
Scientific Director of the German-Russian Forum Alexander Rahr drew attention to the reduction of attention to Azerbaijan and Armenia not only due to a lack of political resources in the West, but also due to foreign policies pursued by the republics. "Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan showed proper attention and interest in participating in the European program ‘Eastern Partnership.’ Therefore, the focus of interest of Europe shifted to Ukraine and Moldova, which were interested in deepening of cooperation and signed an agreement on the European association that is the ultimate goal of the ‘Eastern Partnership,’’ Alexander Rahr said.
