ArmInfo.In my opinion, Russia can agree to the deployment of Russian border guards on the border with Azerbaijan, but only taking into account the position of Azerbaijan. A similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of the Russia in Global Affairs magazine, director for scientific work of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
"We understand that Moscow cannot simply ignore the request of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenia is our important ally, including the military one. On the other hand, all this generates certain contradictions, since Moscow cannot neglect Baku's position on this issue either. And this position, of course, should be taken into account. In particular, in the context of Russian policy towards building a new balance of forces in the South Caucasus, "he stressed.
In this light, Lukyanov noted that, despite the constant process of strengthening strategic allied relations between Baku and Ankara, Moscow continues to attach a high degree of importance to relations with Baku. Moscow, according to his forecasts, can meet the proposals of Prime Minister Pashinyan, at least following the results of negotiations not only with Yerevan, but also with Baku.
On August 4, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced the deployment of Russian border guards in the Voskepar community of the Tavush region of the country. "Russian border guards are stationed in the specified area, and construction work is being carried out with the aim of building logistic support structures. This process is carried out within the framework of the Armenian-Russian military cooperation," the Ministry of Defense said.
Commenting on the possibility of coordinating actions towards ensuring the security of Armenia between Russia and France, the analyst noted that the accents placed by Paris demonstrate the existence of a certain consensus with Moscow on ways to resolve the current situation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In his opinion, cooperation in this direction is quite possible. In light of such prospects, the analyst recalled the start of a new stage in Russian-French relations and in French foreign policy, in general, after the Putin-Macron meeting two years ago. According to him, in cooperation with Moscow, Paris began to pursue a more independent policy, regardless of the collective West, NATO and even the situation around Ukraine. And by cooperating with Moscow in resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani problems, Macron may well increase his own role in the South Caucasus. At the same time, by no means to the detriment of Russian influence, since at this stage France and Russia in the region do not interfere with each other.
"For Russia, this is a fairly good and quite convenient option for cooperation in the South Caucasus. Taking into account our relations with Turkey and other neighboring countries and France's positioning in this conflict. Russia's policy develops and naturally, among the co-chairing countries it is more convenient for Russia to work with France. The Russian Federation and France have common interests, including in the South Caucasus, and Paris, unlike Washington and Brussels, does not have a markedly anti-Russian position. All this opens up very good prospects for Russia and France's ooperation in the South Caucasus ", - summed up Lukyanov.