Russia not going to leave South Caucasus region — Denis Denisov

Speaking with Alpha News, Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, commented on the Istanbul negotiations on Ukraine and noted that no major decisions should be expected.

“The most important thing is that we should not expect any sensational or serious decisions now, especially from the first round of these talks. The parties have already outlined their positions on a number of things. There are two key priorities: the security aspect and the political settlement aspect. As for whether the parties have the political will to negotiate and implement these agreements, I believe we will find out within a few days, but the fact that the Ukrainian side and its leader initially tried to reformat the negotiations into another show, of course, gives very restrained expectations regarding their results,” Denisov emphasized.

According to the political scientist, Russia has no plans to leave the South Caucasus region.

“Russia views both Armenia and Azerbaijan as strategic partners—nations with whom it is essential to build stable relations for decades to come, with a focus on the future. Based on this, both the public and non-public positions are built, related to the fact that it is necessary to continue dialogues and further propose certain projects that would be beneficial to all parties involved in the negotiation process. Russia is not going to leave the South Caucasus region. However, it is important to recognize that, at present, the region is not a top priority for Russia,” Denisov concluded.