Interview with Valeri Tursunov, president of the Institute of Eurasian Studies.
Q: What do you think about the prospects of normalizing ties between Turkey and Armenia and how can this process change the situation in the region?
A: I think any cooperation is useful if it is based on principles of equal rights. Any cooling can result in the development of negative tendencies. Therefore, when Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed the Caucasus platform initiative, it was clear that Russia, Turkey and Iran are key players for achievement of stability in the region. Therefore, certainly, any contacts are useful for the region and mutual relations between the countries.
Q: Why is Erdogan’s initiative recalled so rarely today?
A: In period of the August events in Georgia in 2008, I took part in one of the conferences in Ankara. The initiative of Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the Caucasus platform envisioning normalization of relations and elimination of conflicts in the region dated to that period. Certainly, at that period the Caucasus platform was needed to calm down the explosive situation after the armed conflict. As we were not heard in the West and it was necessary to reduce tensions, Erdogan understood this and put forward this initiative to calm down the situation as the third power. The platform nominated by Erdogan must have future. Merely, in period of its nomination it was immature and now it is necessary to complete this idea through joint efforts. It was necessary to continue developing this issue and raise the number of its participants. It seems to me that Turkey tried to play an important role, if exactly, to take the first place in the region.
Q: Do you agree that the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border will raise Russian investments in Armenia?
A: Certainly, the opening of borders will facilitate the transport corridors and promote construction of highways and railroads, pipelines and so on. But, probably, the Armenian side has its own opinion on this issue, it is trying to find the access to the foreign market, as it is stuck in isolation. Meanwhile, it has such a neighbor as Georgia which is also unstable because in case of problems there start delays with the supplies and failures. Therefore, Armenia can be understood as a state; they are searching ways out of the situation. But there are hindrances connected with recognition of the “Armenian genocide” in this issue. No one will give up. Therefore, this process will continue not as quickly as one would like it to be though it is encouraging that all parties have started attempts to find the ways out of the problem.
Meanwhile, along with the indicated facts, the relations between Turkey and Russia are also developing in a separate space. In particular, the planned visit of President Dmitri Medvedev to Ankara in May of this year and the agreement to eliminate visa regime between the two countries will promote further development of relations between the two countries. This agreement will promote the increase in the number of people travelling to Turkey.
Q: How can the normalization of the Turkish-Armenian relations affect the resolution of the Karabakh conflict?
A: Russia’s position in the Karabakh issue is clear. We must settle the Karabakh conflict peacefully. Meanwhile, there are some achievements in negotiations after the long misunderstanding between the conflict parties.
Countries as Turkey, Iran, Russia and the OSCE Minsk Group are also interested in this issue. Meanwhile, this problem should be settled so that it could become mutually acceptable both for Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Q: Which sphere in the Azerbaijani-Russian relations do you consider to be incomplete?
A: The sphere which is covered too low in the Azerbaijani-Russian relations is the work with the young people of our countries. By means of the organization I lead, we managed to help five journalists from Azerbaijan to continue education at the Moscow State University for the first time. In other word, our organization finances their education. All of them study well and one of them has been invited to work by the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. And following negotiations with the Azerbaijani leadership, in particular, with chief of the public police department of Azerbaijan’s presidential administration Ali Hasanov, it was decided to finance education of tens of journalists from Azerbaijan to study at the Moscow State University.
In addition, for the first time we have opened the Russian Book House in Azerbaijan which is currently the only one in the post-Soviet area. Today, we consider the opening of the branch of the Russian Book House in Ganja.
News.Az
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