Moscow continues to play complicated balancing game on Karabakh as Russia continues selling arms and preaching peace.

The Russian government continues to play a complicated balancing act with regards to the Karabakh issue, and in its relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan.

A summit meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) held in Moscow this week, which was attended by Armenia which is a member, but not by Azerbaijan, which is not, has called for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and stressed the principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity and people’s right for self-determination as the basis on which this settlement could be achieved.

On the other hand Russia continues to supply both sides in the Karabakh conflict with vast supplies of arms. Military equipment to Baku is sold at commercial prices, whilst Armenia, which is a member of CSTO gets most of its arms supplies at reduced prices.

Many observers see a contradiction between Moscow's appeals for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, and its military arming of the sides. It stems from Russia's concern that it remains the predominant power in the region which requires the goodwill of both governments. Providing military supplies is one of the strategies in this direction.

On the other hand Russia's diplomatic initiatives around the Karabakh conflict paused over recent months during the Putin-Medvedev job swaps. It is not yet clear how they will be resumed, if at all.  

source: commonspace.eu

photo: The CSTO Summit in Moscow on 15th May 2012 was attended by Armenia which is a member but not by Azerbaijan, which is not. (picture courtesy of CSTO).

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Mark Carney: "The world is in the midst of a rupture, not a transition"

Mark Carney: "The world is in the midst of a rupture, not a transition"

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the "old order is not coming back" and urged fellow middle powers to come together in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Middle powers must act together because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu," Carney said on Tuesday, adding that he believed powerful nations were using economic coercion to get what they want. He also affirmed Canada's support for Greenland, Denmark and the Nato alliance, drawing applause. "Great powers" are often defined as countries with permanent seats on United Nations Security Council - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - which shows their economic and military dominance in the world. Middle powers, such as Canada, Australia, Argentina, South Korea and Brazil, are nations that still exert large influence in global politics, even though their economies are smaller. In his speech, Carney said the world is "in the midst of a rupture, not a transition". "Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited," he said. He also said "Canada was amongst the first to hear the wake-up call" that geography and historic alliances no longer guaranteed security or prosperity. As a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), Canada stands firmly with Greenland and Denmark and supports "their unique right to determine Greenland's future", Carney said in his speech. "Our commitment to Article Five is unwavering," the prime minister added, referring to a clause in the Nato agreement that states an attack against one member state is considered an attack on all. (read the full speech of the Canadian prime minister at Davos by clicking the picture).

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)