If Russian troops are withdrawn from South Caucasus, Baku will be tempted to wage war – Dmitry Zhuravlev

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian political scientist Dmitry Zhuravlev commented on remarks made by Hikmet Hajiyev, an assistant to the President of Azerbaijan. Discussing negotiations with Armenia, Hajiyev noted that there is no need for foreign military forces to remain stationed in the region.

“Azerbaijan is seeking to strengthen its position in the South Caucasus. Given that Azerbaijan has the strongest army among the local countries, the presence of Russian troops is a hindrance to Azerbaijan. If Azerbaijan were to lose now and Armenia to win, Azerbaijan would most likely support maintaining the Russian base as a guarantee of stability. Now, when Azerbaijan hopes that it is the dominant force in the region, this base has become an obstacle. This is an absolutely natural situation,” Zhuravlev said.

If Russian troops are withdrawn from the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan will be tempted to resolve its issues with Armenia swiftly, the political scientist emphasized.

“If there is no Russian base there, Azerbaijan will want to solve the Armenian problem once and for all. As long as Russian troops remain, there will be no war. If they are withdrawn, Azerbaijan will be tempted to resolve its issues with Armenia swiftly, thanks to its powerful army. I am not certain that this temptation will materialize, as the president of Azerbaijan is not a foolish person, but the temptation will be there,” Zhuravlev concluded.