Bogdan Bezpalko: Russia wants to maintain peace in the Caucasus, while other forces want to set fire

Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Council of Inter-Ethnic Relations under the President of Russia, in his interview with Alpha News commented on the position of the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “The aim of Azerbaijan, Turkiye and a number of other countries is not a peace treaty at all, but an establishment of a certain politico-military structure in the Caucasus.

This structure will not only be limited to the takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh, but also will be aimed at the full withdrawal of Armenia from pro-Russian integrational unions as well as the further expansion. That is why, if the peace treaty is drawn up hastily, its obligations will not be fulfilled”, Bezpalko stated.

Commenting on the Russian Foreign Ministry statement about the Western attempts to oust Russia from the region, the expert noted that Russia would be ousted even after signing the treaty.

“The peace treaty is just one of the intermediate steps which will hardly be respected”, he said.

According to him, Russia strives for peace in the Caucasus.

“Russia seeks to freeze the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh by deploying peacekeepers and searching for a compromise. It also wants to postpone the conflict for the future. However, the imposed blockade, provocation of peacekeepers and others factors hinder us to do it. Russia wants to maintain peace in the Caucasus because it is one of the areas of its responsibility, while other forces want to set fire. The very presence of Russian troops, FSB troops and other divisions in Armenia is regarded as a stability factor. If Russia leaves the region, it will be the start of a massive deadly conflict. Russia opposes certain geopolitical forces as well as Azerbaijani and Turkish elites”, the expert noted.

Speaking about the Turkish role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, he stressed that Turkiye would now reduce its ambitions:

“Turkiye is now facing serious economic challenges due to the recently occurred massive earthquake and, in general, the country has been under pressure because of the foreign policy expansion in Syria, Cyprus, Libya and other regions”.

“Besides, the high concentration of pro-western NPOs in Armenia, which are trying to form the agenda and influence elites and media, is concerning. It is not clear why pro-Russian activists are targeted while pro-westerners are operating safely. It should also be mentioned that the U.S. Embassy in Armenia is one of the largest, comprising up to 3000 employees. We can actually make several comments regarding Armenia, but we have no right to interfere with the sovereign state affairs”, Bezpalko concluded.