What the Russian political scientist who came to this conclusion said about last year's results is interesting

Azerbaijan, which has set a unique example of an independent state in the political geography of the world, has a say not only in the South Caucasus, where it has become the leader, but also in the international arena. Azerbaijan, which has proven its status as a country independent of anyone, acting on its national interests without exception, is also a model of a strong country with internal stability and non-alignment. Yes, the Azerbaijani authorities, which implement a successful foreign policy balanced for the sake of the interests of the state and the people, are not involved in the conflict between Russia and the West. This fact is acknowledged by the world's most influential think-tanks, as well as by well-known politicians and political scientists.

One of the political experts who accepts the reality as it is and evaluates the events unfolding in the region in the last three years from the perspective of truth and justice is Alexey Naumov, an expert of the Russian International Affairs Council, columnist of the Kommersant publishing house, political scientist. In an interview with "Caliber.az" website, the well-known political expert touched on topics such as the fact that there is no alternative to the normalization of the situation in the South Caucasus, that Yerevan has no choice but to sign a peace agreement with Baku, the reasons for the tension between Russia and Armenia, as well as the fact that Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation has entered a new stage of development. We present to the readers a brief overview of A. Naumov's interview.

Yerevan continues to "sit on two chairs".

Saying that in 2023, which we have left behind, the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Russia have become tense at a level not seen in the last thirty years, the expert drew attention to the fact that Yerevan could not achieve anything with it:

- Until now, the Armenian leadership has never pursued a purposeful policy of completely cutting off relations with Russia. Most likely, Yerevan is trying to achieve two goals with its local demarches: to show its displeasure with Russia and to benefit from cooperation with the West. That is why it is clear that Armenia does not want to completely and definitively end its relations with Russia. This is also understandable. Because Iravan cannot accept this and accordingly tries to limit its activities to local diplomatic demarches to Moscow and "sit on two chairs" at the same time. In principle, Nikol Pashinyan's participation in the pre-New Year meeting of the CIS leaders in St. Petersburg confirmed what we said in a visible form.

Answering the question about the discussion of new agreements on military-technical cooperation between Russia and Armenia, the Russian political commentator did not exclude the possibility that Moscow could send new weapons to Yerevan in 2024:

- It seems to me that such a scenario is possible. That is, Russia can send its military equipment to Armenia on a commercial basis. In conclusion, in any case, this will not change the balance of power in the region. Moreover, Armenians' dreams of revanchism have completely failed and there is no chance for its "resurrection" after that. Yerevan has neither the strength nor the capacity to do so.

Azerbaijan is the sole leader of the region

On the whole, A. Naumov noted that Russia does not close its doors to Armenia, and is interested in maintaining relations with both Yerevan and Baku in one form or another, and also notes that some corrections have taken place in this area in the last three years:

- But I have said about this many times: if before the Second Karabakh War of 2020, Armenia was considered a more important and privileged ally of Russia, now everything has changed. Currently, Azerbaijan is a very important, more predictable and useful partner of Russia. This partnership is also evidenced by bilateral mutual cooperation in the economic and commercial sphere. But we cannot say this about Armenia. Let's take Yerevan's supply of arms from India and France. These steps are like a painkiller for Armenia. The Yerevan government is trying to show everyone that, look, we are strengthening our army and buying weapons and ammunition from abroad. But at this time we understand very well that neither French, nor Indian, nor any country's weapons can change the balance of forces in the South Caucasus. I have already said this once: the leader of this region is not Armenia, but Azerbaijan. And not only in military terms, but also in technical, diplomatic, and other fields, Azerbaijan is an unrivaled leader. In other words, buying arms from abroad is a status symbol for Pashinyan's government, which tries to show that it remains a player in international politics.

In his interview, A. Naumov, who later touched upon the prospect of signing a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan, expressed his belief that this prospect is inevitable in any case:

- Nikol Pashinyan is now extending the time. Because the lack of this document supposedly allows him to demonstrate that Armenians have preserved some positions and interests, even though they have completely lost all conditions on military and political platforms. I think that in the near future we will witness the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries. Armenia cannot play against the course of history.

The year 2023 was marked by the revelation of the true face of Armenia

While sharing his conclusions about the processes that will take place in the South Caucasus in 2024, a well-known political expert says that the only option for the region is the normalization of the situation:

- This region was in a whirlwind of contradictions for quite a long time, the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia was hanging in the air for decades. But after 2020, the waters began to recede. However, looking at the current South Caucasus from the perspective of the conflict between Russia and the West, it becomes clear that the region has turned into a stable island after Azerbaijan returned its territories.

I would like to mention one important point that all the players directly related to the region are interested in the restoration of peace and stability. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Iran and Russia show their interest in economic cooperation and mutual relations at the transnational transport hub. Yes, I imagine the future of the South Caucasus to be stable and oriented towards progress.

Looking at the past year, it can be characterized as the year in which answers to all questions for Russia-Azerbaijan and Russia-Armenia relations were set. It was precisely in 2023 that it became clear who had what value. The year showed that what the Armenians said about centuries-old friendship was nothing more than an attempt to force Russia to fight in its place in the unjust Karabakh conflict. It also became clear that the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are not based on some general historical memory. These relations are based on bilateral cooperation loaded with both economic and political content.

A. Naumov especially emphasizes the expansion and strengthening of expert cooperation between the two countries last year:

- We witnessed the meetings of the Russia-Azerbaijan Expert Council. There are enough forward-looking projects of governments. For example, I have absolutely no doubt that the North-South corridor will become a very important network in international trade and will also connect Russia and Azerbaijan more closely. In general, it is clear that the year we have left behind will be remembered first of all for the complete restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and at the same time, the revelation and exposure of the true face of Armenia led by Nikol Pashinyan. I believe that friendly relations between our peoples and states will be purposefully strengthened and developed in 2024 and the following years.

I. HASANGALA
XQ