Russia, Turkey seeking easy target - Arkady Dubnov

ArmInfo. Russia and Turkey are taking hat - and where - it is easier for them to take. And it is quite normal because it is quite practical, Russian expert in the CIS  Arkady Dubnov told ArmInfo.  

"For example Turkey`s claims in the Caucasus are now more  geopolitical than territorial ones. However, it has territorial  claims in northern Syria, where Turkomans (Turkmens) are living. And  the 44-day war showed all of us that Russia has taken what it was  allowed to - and even was asked to. And it was reflected in the  trilateral statement of November 9, 2020," he said. 

According to Dubnov, this is the basis for Moscow`s further steps  toward Armenia and Azerbaijan.  Specifically, by actively supporting  Yerevan, Moskow is running the risk of losing its presence in  Karabakh in the form of peacekeeping troops.  This is the cause of  Russia`s maneuvering between the conflicting parties with a view to  retain its own achievements as a result of last year`s war. So,  according to the expert, Armenia`s long-standing hopes for Russia as  a guarantor of its [Armenia`s] sovereignty proveed false.  

The reason for the present state of affairs is, according to the  expert, a different historical reality: for the simple reason that,  during this whole period, Russia has been guarantor for Armenia in  the context of its own confrontation with the entire Turkic world  rather than in the context of Armenia`s conflict with Azerbaijan.  Dubnov believes that Russia is now showing an entire new tendency -  that of neoimperialism - an aspiration to re-emerge as a new empire.  This is the Kremlin`s goal -"keeping everybody strained," Dubnov said  as he addressed future serious steps toward re-emergence as an empire  in a geographic area.  "And part of this empire, Nagorno-Karabakh,  has been made our protectorate. This is the underlying reason why  Russia cannot defend its own military ally Armenia. In the context of  Russia`s future policy of neoimperilism, Azerbaijan is important for  Moscow even now. I without supporting this policy at all, I, in the  context of historical reality, state that Armenia should not hope for  Russia at all," Dubnov said.