There is a serious risk that long-range ground-to-ground missiles would be used and casualties, particularly civilian, be much higher in the effort to gain a decisive ground advantage. In the wake of the April fighting, the publics in Armenia and Azerbaijan are more ready for military solutions than at any time in 25 years. Russia sees itself as the regional arbiter which is bound to intervene, not least because of its tight treaty relations with Armenia.
Kiarostami stayed in Iran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and made more than 40 films, including documentaries. He won the Palme D’Or, the top prize at Cannes, with his 1997 film Taste of Cherry.
“I told previously that Azerbaijan will attempt to make use of any instability in the region, which it attempted to do in April. I’m also of the conviction that activities of Azerbaijan with Turkey aren’t particularly agreed, as Turkey attempts to keep some distance from the conflict, and Azerbaijan strives to involve Turkey. Simply any instability is in favor of Azerbaijan. I think, for a short-term future rehabilitation of Russia-Turkey relations will be positively reflected on NK conflict, however, it won’t completely eliminate the threat for NK conflict outbreak, as Azerbaijan intends to reach its imagined NK conflict settlement through exerting pressure.”
“During the session serious attention was attached to international security, with which deal CSTO member countries and on which depends their stability, and one of those issues is NK conflict as well. Thus, during the session the conflict was discussed and respective statement was adopted both on NK conflict and Syrian crisis,” Bordyuzha said.
“As I already mentioned, rather serious efforts are exerted, in particular, by the MG Co-Chairs. This is not the time of public diplomacy, and I don’t tend to comment on one of the public statements. Let the diplomacy work,” he said.
“In Azerbaijan’s recent activities position of Turkey’s authorities had its active role. There is no need reminding of the statement released by the Turkish authorities throughout the days of the April war, to which we have repeatedly reflected and insisted, that they instigate Azerbaijan for provocations on the contact line. Russian side also reflected to it on the level of Foreign Minister.”
An alternative route is presently offered to the freight transporters—through the sea. To get to Russia our trucks should head for Poti, and from there to be transported to the port of Novorossiysk through a ferry and continue the overland route. On the one hand, this extends the route, on the other hand, it creates additional financial and other difficulties for freight transporters.
“Iran is one of those few countries of he world, which pursues its own policy. They can be counted on fingers. No matter how strange it may seem, Iran is included in them. It survived severe sanctions, which closed world energy market for it. Iran, surely, makes use of Russia, it rather actively used it in the period of sanctions, however, Russia also reckons on Iran. It’s a mutually beneficial political game. Sometimes Iran is a partner, sometimes—an ally, and sometimes—a companion, i.e. relations between Russia and Iran are multilayer.”
Neil Macfarlane, professor of International Relations at Oxford University, specialist on Russia and the South Caucasus, PhD in political science, positively assessed the process by the MG towards making presidential meeting frequent, launched after the April war. In his words, currently the Russian side seemingly puts forward its separate plans in Nagorno-Karabakh, attempting to move towards the direction of cooperation with the USA and France, with the perspective of settling wider relations with the West.
Germany as an OSCE chairing country “seeks to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, said to journalists today in Tbilisi.
