ANALYST: RUSSIA NEEDS ALIYEV'S RE-ELECTION AS AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT
Interfax, Russia
Oct 7 2013
MOSCOW. Oct 7
Incumbent Ilham Aliyev's anticipated victory in Azerbaijan's
presidential election on Wednesday will be in the interests of Russia,
a senior Russian analyst said on Monday.
"Many experts agree that the incumbent president will win. In this
situation, it is preferable for Russia that Mr. Aliyev should stay
in power," Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Commonwealth
of Independent States Institute, told Interfax.
In regards to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, none of the candidates'
victory would mean any progress toward settling it, Zharikhin argued.
"The situation is such that a deep-going compromise is indispensable
for a settlement, but such a compromise would be seen as a serous
surrender of ground, or even defeat, by a considerable part of the
population both in Azerbaijan and in Armenia," Zharikhin said.
"Those who go for such a compromise would effectively burn their
ratings. At the moment I can't see any political figure big enough to
be able to do this. For this reason, the situation would most likely
stagnate. On the other hand, the main thing is there won't be a war,"
he said.
He argued that the fact that Russia, the United States and the European
Union hold similar positions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a
stabilizing factor.
"Unlike in many other conflicts, the positions of Russia, the EU
and the U.S. on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
approximately coincide. There are no obvious contradictions there.
None of the global players has unequivocal support for either party
to the conflict," he said.
as mk
Interfax, Russia
Oct 7 2013
MOSCOW. Oct 7
Incumbent Ilham Aliyev's anticipated victory in Azerbaijan's
presidential election on Wednesday will be in the interests of Russia,
a senior Russian analyst said on Monday.
"Many experts agree that the incumbent president will win. In this
situation, it is preferable for Russia that Mr. Aliyev should stay
in power," Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Commonwealth
of Independent States Institute, told Interfax.
In regards to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, none of the candidates'
victory would mean any progress toward settling it, Zharikhin argued.
"The situation is such that a deep-going compromise is indispensable
for a settlement, but such a compromise would be seen as a serous
surrender of ground, or even defeat, by a considerable part of the
population both in Azerbaijan and in Armenia," Zharikhin said.
"Those who go for such a compromise would effectively burn their
ratings. At the moment I can't see any political figure big enough to
be able to do this. For this reason, the situation would most likely
stagnate. On the other hand, the main thing is there won't be a war,"
he said.
He argued that the fact that Russia, the United States and the European
Union hold similar positions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a
stabilizing factor.
"Unlike in many other conflicts, the positions of Russia, the EU
and the U.S. on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
approximately coincide. There are no obvious contradictions there.
None of the global players has unequivocal support for either party
to the conflict," he said.
as mk