Aliyev’s absence at CIS summit is demonstrative gesture – Alexander Tsinker

Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist Alexander Tsinker commented on the reasons behind Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s refusal to participate in the informal summit of CIS leaders held in St. Petersburg.

“The situation seems strange. Because the day before the media reported that President Aliyev would not be going to Moscow, I read a statement by Peskov saying that a trilateral meeting between Putin, Pashinyan, and Aliyev was planned in St. Petersburg. They were supposed to discuss the situation in the South Caucasus and a number of other issues. And then, literally the next day, we learned that the president had changed his mind and would not be attending. Explanations about Aliyev being busy, about the end of the year, or about other events, frankly, don’t seem very serious. It’s impossible for him to be unaware of his events in the evening and then suddenly remember in the morning that he has other plans,” Tsinker said.

According to the expert, Aliyev has recently been striving to ensure that Russia does not become involved in the problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“If we recall the situation that developed after the downing of the Azerbaijani plane, I don’t think it’s the key factor right now. This issue is gradually fading into the background, although it is certainly not completely closed. It seems to me that recently, Aliyev has been striving, first of all, to ensure that no third party—and in this case, primarily Russia—is involved in the problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The only person he cannot really argue with is US President Trump, since it was in America that all this was signed. On the other hand, after the Americans made a gesture toward Azerbaijan and repealed the amendment banning the sale of certain types of weapons between the US and Azerbaijan, Aliyev is trying to maintain good relations with the United States,” Tsinker noted.

According to the political scientist, Azerbaijan’s refusal to participate in the CIS summit is a demonstrative gesture.

“I think it was more of a show—a demonstration that he had no business at this meeting; he had his own issues, his own policies, and his own line of conduct. Yes, Azerbaijan formally remains a member of the CIS, but at the same time, it emphasizes its own independence. Why he decided to demonstrate this now is an open question,” Tsinker concluded.