An official visit to Azerbaijan by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, starts today. During the visit Lavrov will hold talks with his Azerbaijani colleague Elmar Mamedjarov and meet President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Lavrov is flying to Baku to discuss key aspects on the regional and international agendas. The Caspian issue in the context of preparation for the Fourth Caspian Summit in Astrakhan will be discussed. The agenda of the talks includes the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
Professor of the Western University, Fikret Sadykhov, told Vestnik Kavkaza that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will probably be a central topic for discussion during Lavrov's visit to Baku. “The visit is taking place in the context of a changed political situation in the world and in the CIS space. It is implemented within the framework of our bilateral strategic cooperation. It is no secret that Azerbaijan and Russia have high-level relations and develop in various political, economic and humanitarian directions. Of course the Karabakh topic will be of high priority,” he says.The expert also touched on the matter of Russian integration projects. “Russia would like to see us among members of the Eurasian Union, but Azerbaijan doesn’t agree to this. I think the Russian Foreign Minister will continue the line, but if Russia is interested in Azerbaijan as a member of its integration projects, we need mutual compromises. It is obvious that Armenia depends on Russia as its military and political partner. A lot depends on Russia’s role in the South Caucasus, including revival of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Sadykhov stresses.
Professor of the Western University, Fikret Sadykhov, told Vestnik Kavkaza that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will probably be a central topic for discussion during Lavrov's visit to Baku. “The visit is taking place in the context of a changed political situation in the world and in the CIS space. It is implemented within the framework of our bilateral strategic cooperation. It is no secret that Azerbaijan and Russia have high-level relations and develop in various political, economic and humanitarian directions. Of course the Karabakh topic will be of high priority,” he says.
The expert also touched on the matter of Russian integration projects. “Russia would like to see us among members of the Eurasian Union, but Azerbaijan doesn’t agree to this. I think the Russian Foreign Minister will continue the line, but if Russia is interested in Azerbaijan as a member of its integration projects, we need mutual compromises. It is obvious that Armenia depends on Russia as its military and political partner. A lot depends on Russia’s role in the South Caucasus, including revival of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Sadykhov stresses.
