Kazakhstan is interested not only in achieving peace in the South Caucasus but also attaches great importance to stability in the surrounding regions, Kazakh political scientist and director of the Institute of Eurasian Integration Urazgali Selteev told Report, commenting on the upcoming meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Almaty.
In Selteev’s opinion, the decision of Baku and Yerevan to hold a ministerial meeting in Almaty is evidence of the political will of both countries to resolve issues within the framework of the peace process.
“On our part, we are also interested in this. Recently, President Tokayev made an official visit to Yerevan, during which negotiations were held on the further strengthening and development of bilateral relations. Also, most likely, the key issue on the agenda was the discussion of the plan for the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia," the political scientist said.
According to Selteev, in addition to the political context, Kazakhstan is ready to offer a platform for negotiations on economic issues.
“First of all, it is about the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route [Middle Corridor] and the Zangazur corridor. Therefore, here Kazakhstan has both political interests, which are aimed at resolving the conflict peacefully, and economic interests, since the development of these transport and logistics routes affects the Kazakh economy. Of course, there should not be inflated expectations from the negotiations in Almaty. But any negotiations are already a big result and a serious shift. At the same time, Kazakhstan is not trying to seize the peacekeeping initiative from anyone, we are simply acting pragmatically. This also shows that Kazakhstan can be trusted,” Selteev said.
