Russia-Azerbaijan relations are not at best level now – Alexander Krylov  

 
Speaking with Alpha News, political scientist Alexander Krylov commented on the Azerbaijani-Russian relations against the background of recent news, in particular, the termination of Rossotrudnichestvo’s activities in Baku.

“It is obvious that our relations are going through another cooling period. It all started with an airplane that was damaged over Grozny and then crashed. The story began with the demand to immediately admit guilt even before the expert reports appeared. And now, too, the Azerbaijani leadership categorically insists on some of its demands. The Russian leadership has not yet clearly expressed its opinion on this issue. And then there were claims that Russian diplomats do not participate in mandatory official ceremonies in Azerbaijan, in commemorations of the ‘innocent victims of the genocide in Khojaly.’

At the same time, it was somehow forgotten that all this happened after the pogroms of the Armenian population. Further claims were voiced about 1920, when the Soviet government ‘illegally handed over the ancestral Azerbaijani lands to the Armenian SSR.’ Somehow this historical topic is being raised rapidly. Therefore, of course, relations are not at the best level right now; just like with Armenia, Russia now has a lot of problems in mutual understanding,” Krylov said.

According to the political scientist, it is possible that Baku’s current policy of pressure on Moscow is aimed at achieving further concessions in terms of the so-called “Zangezur corridor.” 

“Apparently, Azerbaijan and Turkey are now intensively promoting the Zangezur Corridor. Official statements are being made that in any case the corridor will be opened, despite the resistance and sabotage of the Armenian side. It could be that this whole current policy of pressure on Moscow is aimed at achieving the maximum possible concessions in terms of the ‘Zangezur corridor’ and, perhaps, some territorial claims against Armenia—not to mention the prospect of implementing the idea of ‘western Azerbaijan,’ that is, the absorption of the entire territory of Armenia, which allegedly has always been Azerbaijani,” Krylov concluded.