Alexandros Peterson: Turkey serious about opening border with ArmeniaSeptember 24, 2008 - 16:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan was shocked by Russia's actions in Georgia and decided to change the route for its oil and gas, a U.S. expert said. "A decision to develop east-west pipelines was taken. Some of them will go through Novorossiysk, some through Iran. Heydar Aliyev has once persuaded Turkey, Georgia and the United States to develop such an oil pipeline," said Alexandros Peterson, southeast Europe scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre. "Azerbaijan is facing a presidential election. It's disappointed with the fruitless Minsk process. Moreover, the Russian invasion in Georgia proved unpredictability of the region and Baku's policy grew more unpredictable," he said. Turkey and Azerbaijan are west-oriented, according to him. "Nabucco gas pipeline one of the most important aspects. Meanwhile, mostly guided by Russian interests, Armenia just watches the process, its best friends being Russia and Iran. Nagorno Karabakh also remains a problem. Armenia tries to preserve the status quo; Azerbaijan doesn't exclude the possibility to resolve the conflict by use of force," he said. At that, he noted that Turkey's importance should not be neglected. "Gul's visit to Yerevan was symbolic. Turkey is serious about opening the border with Armenia. The initiative to mediate between Yerevan and Baku for resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is an advance," Petersen said, Interfax reports. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Protest leader vows to achieve departure of Armenian authorities According to Archbishop Bagrat, there is only one solution to the situation in Armenia. Heads of Armenian, Ukrainian parliaments hold virtual talks Alen Simonyan and Ruslan Stefanchuk held talks via video conference on Tuesday, May 21. Pashinyan travels to Iran to pay tribute to Raisi, others Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has left for the Islamic Republic of Iran on a working visit. Your home is in Armenia – Ameriabank offers mortgage loans for the Diaspora To buy real estate, Diasporans can apply to Ameriabank online to buy, renovate or build a home anywhere in Armenia. |