Macron's Regime Strives For Clout In South Caucasus - Political Analyst

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 20. President Ilham Aliyev's interview with Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the “Rossiya Segodnya” International News Agency, author, and host of the“Vesti Nedeli” program on the“Rossiya-1” television channel, was full of important messages and signals. In the interview, where a number of topics were touched upon, the head of state voiced specific, consistent, and important answers.

Referring to the situation in the region and relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, President Ilham Aliyev noted that the situation in the region and the world as a whole has undergone significant changes. However, it has not affected the nature and form of cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan.

Thanks to the far-sighted policy of the head of our state, today Russia and Azerbaijan are two reliable partners. Our countries cooperate effectively not only in the political plane but also in all spheres. This includes both political and economic spheres, as well as culture. It should be noted that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia in the period from January through October of this year amounted to more than $3.9 billion, which is 14.5 percent more than the same period last year.

Talking about a possible conflict between Russia and NATO, the head of state expressed hope that things will not reach the point of a clear confrontation between NATO and Russia. As we know, if there is a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO countries, it could mean another world war. Such a scenario would not be positive for either Russia or NATO countries. In addition, third countries would undoubtedly suffer as well. Apart from causing damage, this war could be a source of some kind of danger for each country.

The possibility of establishing a Turkish military base on the territory of Azerbaijan was also touched upon in the interview. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that there are no grounds for this. The Declaration on Allied Relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan contains a clause that provides for mutual military assistance. This makes the establishment of permanent military infrastructures on this or that territory absolutely unnecessary.

In the interview, the head of state also touched upon the points hindering the conclusion of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The two countries have made great progress in the peace agreement. Of the 17 articles of this document, 15 have been agreed upon. So, President Ilham Aliyev made public what these two articles that have not been agreed upon are about. One of these articles is about refraining from filing international lawsuits against each other. The other one concerns the non-deployment of representatives of other countries on our border. Both articles cover important points. For example, Azerbaijan has recently completed the analysis of the damage caused. It is, as the head of state noted, the damage caused during the years of occupation exceeds $150 billion. Refraining from mutual lawsuits would be mutually acceptable. As for the second article, the issue is clear enough. Earlier it was agreed to deploy European Union observers on the border with us on the territory of Armenia with a limited contingent for two months. However, later, without our consent, the number of the contingent increased and the duration of the stay was extended. The EU observers were also joined by representatives of Canada, which was already done by NATO observers, not by the EU.

In other words, these two articles are important for Azerbaijan, and their harmonization is a condition for concluding a peace agreement.

The Head of State also touched upon the processes in Georgia, noting that the situation is stabilizing. Stressing that Georgia is a very important partner for Azerbaijan, the Head of State noted that destabilization, or the threat of destabilization, in Georgia, as harmful as it is for Georgia, is also harmful for Azerbaijan. Negative scenarios that may occur in Georgia may naturally have a negative impact on Azerbaijan as well. This is one of the reasons why our country is closely following the processes there. As the head of state emphasized, Georgia is an important factor in the battle for the Caucasus.

Referring to France's interference in the region, its unsuccessful policy, and the Macron regime's use of all possible ways to retain power, President Ilham Aliyev noted the factors hindering peace in the region and emphasized that France supplies arms to Armenia. The weapons that Macron's government is supplying to Armenia are offensive weapons, lethal weapons that pose a practical threat to Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani side has repeatedly conveyed its concerns in this regard not only to the French government but also to the US administration.

The unilateral support of the US to Armenia, which has abandoned a balanced approach in our region, does not serve security and stability in the region at all but, on the contrary, undermines the possibility of peace. As the head of state noted, our border with Armenia is more than a thousand kilometers long, many settlements are located in close proximity to the border, and former migrants are returning to most of these settlements. This means that Azerbaijan cannot be content with observing this process only from the outside.

In response, the Azerbaijani side is also increasing its military budget, and next year this budget will reach a record level of about $5 billion.

Azerbaijan has always been a supporter of peace in the region, but such rapid arming of Armenia forces us to increase our military budget and arm ourselves at a rapid pace. As President Ilham Aliyev pointed out, Armenia cannot sustain an arms race with us, despite receiving most of its weapons from the West either for free or on credit, which will, of course, eventually be forgiven.

Naturally, France supports Armenia and arms it for its own personal purposes. The Macron regime seeks to have influence in the South Caucasus and does so not by maintaining peace in the region but by trying to create a new conflict. That is, Paris' attempts to increase its influence in the region are often aimed not at resolving existing conflicts but at fomenting them. This approach does not and will not serve regional stability and long-term peace.

Azer Garayev, political analyst

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