I don’t believe in friendship between Azerbaijan and Russia, you can’t be friends with enemies while also being an ally: Kirill Kabanov

Kirill Kabanov, member of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, commented to Alpha News on statements by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan regarding support for Ukraine, and called on Russia to take tougher retaliatory measures.

“Right now, Azerbaijan is to some extent repeating Turkey’s playbook. On one hand, it says, ‘We’ve built good relations,’ and this message is being actively broadcast everywhere. But at the same time, it openly declares support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. If you’re friends with someone, you can’t be friends with their enemies at the same time. That’s not friendship anymore, that’s just building relations. If we’re talking about political relations, then someone needs it. Perhaps it serves the state’s interests at a given moment. But I have never believed, and do not believe, in that kind of friendship. I think most people in Russia don’t believe in it either. Yes, there may be a certain economic rationale, and perhaps some short-term political benefit. But sooner or later, this kind of flirtation ends in yet another betrayal. We’ve already had plenty of examples where relations were supposedly being built, including over the past year. That’s why I have always advocated, and will continue to advocate, for a tough and extremely clear-cut policy. Now is exactly that kind of time,” Kabanov said.

According to the expert, the Azerbaijani president’s anti-Russian statements should be met with retaliatory measures, after which “a great many will squeal, come running, and come crawling back.”

“Russia can quite calmly use economic mechanisms and build highly effective measures of influence, including by restricting the operations of certain businesses. It’s important to understand that this cooperation isn’t only beneficial to us. And it’s worth calculating who has more at stake in the cooperation: Russia or Azerbaijan. I can tell you that if certain business sectors were shut down, starting with specific markets and other areas of interaction, a great many would squeal, come running, and come crawling back. So the response needs to be exactly that, concrete action. Words alone are no longer enough. It’s time to move to action,” Kabanov concluded.