Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Nagorno-Karabakh clash could bring US interference in Caucasus: Russian analyst

Moscow, Sept 29, IRNA – A Russian analyst told IRNA on Tuesday that all efforts should be focused on putting an end to the clash between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan because it can prepare the grounds for the US to interfere with the affairs of all southern Caucasus countries.

War and bloodshed will have no outcome for the region, said Leonid Savin, adding that it will just have destruction and casualties from among civilians and military personnel of both sides; that's why the leaders of both sides need to return to the negotiation table.

It is crystal clear that war and clash in the Caucasus serve the interest of Israel and the US that have been planning to have a more presence in the region after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union.

The vice-president of the International Eurasian Movement said although no signs of Israel's attempts to be present in the region are not seen, but Tel Aviv has been a supplier to the army of Azerbaijan and has made some clandestine moves in the past to have military presence in the country.

He added that it is not unlikely that the provocations of Israel ignited the war to sell more weapons and to start a new war near Iran.

He said the clash also makes some problems for Russia too because Moscow doesn’t want to see extra-regional powers in the Caucasus, that’s why all the efforts of Russia are focused on putting an end to the clash, adding that Moscow is using its good ties with both sides of the clash to make them solve the issue through negotiations and make them understand that presence of extra-regional powers in the region will have no good consequences.

Russia is trying to solve the problem within the framework of Minsk Group, he said, adding that Tehran and Moscow should cooperate to calm the area between Russia and Iran, including the Caucasus.  

The dispute was originally over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh and changed into a six-year war (1988-1994), Armenia took control of the region as well as seven counties around it. Some 35,000 people were killed and 800,000 were displaced.

In May 1994, the two countries accepted a ceasefire, but international efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), aka Minsk Group, have been fruitless so far.

Minsk Group has failed to restore peace to the region, which suggests that for some reason, some Western countries are not willing to put an end to the dispute. They definitely have some interest in the region and can save them if the region is facing an ongoing crisis.

Any claim of the West, especially the US, for solving the crisis in the region is actually for expanding the security belt around some countries, like Iran and Russia, to monitor their moves from a closer distance, as well as gaining control of the energy and oil reserves of the southern Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

Therefore, Western countries establish their presence in the region by keeping the crises going on. Baku and Yerevan are both well-Aware of the fact that the West, especially the US, has never been and will never be trying to solve the dispute.

It seems that with a correct understanding of the region, Azerbaijan and Armenia should first put aside their controversies and form a special workgroup to discuss the crisis at a table. And it is necessary to bring about other players to the negotiations, only regional countries can take the interests of both sides into consideration and stop more damage and loss of lives.

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