MOSCOW, March 21, Mikhail Katkov. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg toured the South Caucasus. Met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, then with Georgian and Armenian prime ministers Irakli Kobakhidze and Nikol Pashinyan. Everyone expressed their readiness to develop cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance. About how this threatens Russia — in the material .
King of the Hill “The NATO-Azerbaijan partnership has a long history — more than 30 years,” Aliyev noted at negotiations with Stoltenberg. “Baku participated in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, which was a huge experience for us. At the end of August 2021, our military personnel were among the last coalition forces to leave Afghanistan. This once again demonstrates our strong commitment to cooperation.»
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
The President reminded the Secretary General that Azerbaijan supplies gas to six NATO members, as well as two partners of the alliance and The European Commission really appreciates this. He admitted that he feels a great responsibility in this regard.
Stoltenberg thanked Aliyev for gas supplies and the settlement with Armenia. He also welcomed Baku's decision to send humanitarian aid to Kiev.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his arrival at the NATO summit in Vilnius
The best friend In Tbilisi, the Secretary General emphasized that Georgia is one of NATO’s closest partners. He said that Russia should recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as part of the Transcaucasian republic, and linked Moscow’s policy in this area with actions in Ukraine. According to him, all this is illegal.
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze
Stoltenberg then thanked Georgia for helping thousands of Ukrainian refugees and emphasized the importance of the Black Sea. Now it is important to block shipping in order to interfere with Russia, but after the “success of Ukraine”, the economic chains formed in the region will be restored, he added.
“I would like to thank you personally for your support of our country, our Euro-Atlantic aspirations. <…> Georgia is one of NATO’s most loyal and reliable partners. Over the years, we have actively participated in ongoing operations under the auspices of the alliance, contributing significantly contribution to strengthening common Euro-Atlantic security. On the other hand, NATO has played and is playing an important role in the development of Georgia's defense capability,» Kobakhidze said in response.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels , April 26, 2018
And expressed concern about the threat of the collapse of the idea of a “peaceful Europe”. In this difficult historical period, countries must unite and firmly adhere to the principles of international law, he emphasized.
Interesting proposal The day before Stoltenberg’s arrival in Yerevan, Nikol Pashinyan warned residents of villages bordering Azerbaijan in the Tavush region that a resumption of hostilities was possible at the end of the week. This will happen if Armenia refuses to transfer to its neighbors four settlements and adjacent territories, which according to Soviet maps belonged to the Azerbaijan SSR, the head of state explained. It is noteworthy that Pashinyan himself proposes to return this border, but Baku wants to get the villages before delimitation begins.
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan at a press conference in Yerevan
«NATO promotes sovereignty and territorial integrity Armenia, its peaceful aspirations,” Stoltenberg assured. And he reminded of the need to sign a peace treaty with Baku.
The Prime Minister and the Secretary General also discussed reforms in Armenia. “You have shown a true commitment to the fight against corruption, strengthening democratic institutions and respecting the rule of law,” Stoltenberg said.
“We are interested in continuing and developing political dialogue, expanding partnerships with the alliance, as well as with its individual participants. We hope that in the near future they will approve a program individually adapted to the new format of Armenia-NATO cooperation,” Pashinyan replied.
Armenian Foreign Ministry
Dangerous games The Kremlin sees how NATO is seeking to strengthen its influence in the Caucasus, and believes that this will not add stability to the region, Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian President, commented on Soltenberg’s voyage. “These contacts are the sovereign right of the Caucasian states. We are closely monitoring and mainly intend to focus on our bilateral relations and the instruments of cooperation that our side has,” he added.
“NATO has a maximum task, namely: to open a second front in Transcaucasia against our country and, in general, to set the region on fire again,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov
“We should not exaggerate the importance of NATO for the South Caucasus, but it is significant. The alliance has set itself the goal of qualitatively weakening Russia’s influence in the region. Armenia was chosen as the main target. In this regard, the West fully approves of Pashinyan’s reorientation policy. As for the Georgian-NATO partnership, its intensity has decreased. Tbilisi is still committed to joining the alliance, but Georgia’s relations with the West have deteriorated against the backdrop of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In the case of Azerbaijan, Turkey remains the main channel of influence of the alliance on Baku,» explained the deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies Dmitry Suslov.
The head of the Caucasus department at the Institute of CIS Countries, Vladimir Novikov, considers Stoltenberg’s tour of the South Caucasus an introductory one. NATO wants to decide on a future strategy in the region. “We see a large-scale reformatting of regional policy, which emerged after the second Karabakh war and the beginning of the Northern Military District. Armenia, having lost Karabakh, seeks to distance itself from Moscow under the pretext of “diversifying the security system.” Georgia is making a difficult maneuver. On the one hand, it publicly remains committed to the Euro-Atlantic choice «. On the other hand, he is trying to avoid confrontation with Moscow. Azerbaijan wants cooperation with the EU, but not integration. And it pursues an ambiguous policy towards Moscow, alternating friendly gestures with flirting with Kiev. Stoltenberg, apparently, decided to personally understand what is happening,» the expert says .
Opening ceremony of Noble Partner military exercises in Georgia
Be that as it may, those surveyed political scientists believe that Armenia can become a fulcrum for the West’s attempts to level out Russia’s role in the region. It was not for nothing that Stoltenberg headed to Yerevan after Baku and Tbilisi: he wanted to collect more information about the South Caucasus before the most important meeting.