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Russia will not accept Turkish leadership

By Messenger Staff
Monday, May 17
Armenian political analyst Gagik Arutunian thinks that Russia will never allow Turkey to play the leading role in the Caucasus region. He says President Medvedev’s visit to Turkey is simply about deepening trade and economic relations between the two countries and there is nothing new or unusual in Medvedev's recent statements about the Karabakh conflict. Arutunian thinks that Russia will not give Turkey the chance to take the lead in resolving this problem.

Arutunian thinks that Armenia should not be overly sensitive to the close relations between Russia and Turkey. He says that Russia pursues a multi-vectored policy but has always defended Armenia’s interests in the international arena, as Armenia is Russia’s strategic partner.

Arutunian expresses his confidence that Moscow will not give extra benefits to Ankara and thinks that Iran’s initiative to actively participate in resolving the Karabakh conflict is a diplomatic step. He also suggests that Iran on one side and the US on the other resolving the conflict is unrealistic. Iran has initiated convening a meeting in Tehran on Karabakh issues involving Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan but according to Arutunian this is unlikely to yield any significant results.