Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, summed up the key points of Russia's relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2019.
In the first place, he emphasized the high partner status of Azerbaijan. "Without a doubt, Azerbaijan remains Russia's real, constructive partner both in the South Caucasus and globally. Although we have some unresolved issues, there is an unprecedentedly high level of trust between us," Konstantin Kosachev emphasized.
"This trust has been achieved both at the level of the leaders of the two countries and at other levels. First Vice President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva's recent visit to Russia cannot but be mentioned here, as well as the contacts between the parliaments. Now we expect the outcome of recent elections in Azerbaijan, but our contacts are still in place, being productive and informative," the senator said.
"All this suggests that we and our Azerbaijani colleagues maintain a normal and constructive dialogue. In this sense, 2019 was not a year of any lost or missed opportunities - it was a year of moving forward," the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs concluded.
Speaking of Armenia, Konstantin Kosachev noted that Russia seeks to equally develop relations with the Armenian authorities either. "I understand that this topic is always perceived with particular attention in a particular country. I would not want my words about Azerbaijan to be misinterpreted, as if it would somehow remove our attention from Armenian colleagues," he said.
"We are building balanced, mutually beneficial relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and we use these relations in order to promote the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict among other things," the head of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Relations concluded.
