ArmInfo.In 2018, Russia will continue the course aimed at equipping the Eurasian space. The head of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy of Russia, director for scientific work of the Valdai Club, Fyodor Lukyanov, expressed his opinion to ArmInfo.
"In this sense, we do not expect any sharp changes in Moscow's foreign policy: strengthening Eurasian integration, leveling the existing contradictions in the EAEU, especially preventing further integration, will become a clear priority of Russian foreign policy after and in the case of Vladimir Putin's re-election in March", said the analyst . Lukyanov also predicts Russia's further implementation of mediation commitments within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict in the absence of radical changes. Noting the presence in Armenia of a lot of claims to the issue of military cooperation between Moscow and Baku, the analyst conditioned this process with difficulties dictating the rules of the game, regional geopolitics.
Nevertheless, Lukyanov is convinced that there is no influence of geopolitical perturbations on the fulfillment of Moscow's obligations under the treaties to ensure Armenia's security. Failure to fulfill obligations to Yerevan, according to his forecasts, devalues the international role and functions of Moscow, not only in relations with Yerevan.
The OSCE Minsk Group has been dealing with the settlement of the Karabakh conflict since 1992, represented by the co-chairs from Russia, the United States and France. Currently, the settlement process is based on the Madrid Principles put forward by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in 2007 and updated in 2009, including, among other things, the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent in the conflict zone.