The Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian President meeting in Sochi, March 5, is one more opportunity for Russia to show its significance in the international arena, Kiril Tanayev, Director General of the Foundation for Effective Politics (FEP), told Voice of Russia.

According to him, Russia is thus resolving a number of problems that hardly have anything in common with Nagorno-Karabakh. Specifically, last August, Russian Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdyukov and his Armenian counterpart Seyran Ohanyan signed an agreement prolonging the presence of the Russian military base in Gyumri until 2044. Official Baku showed its negative attitude to that step, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev assured his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev that Russia and Armenia were not going to use the military base against Azerbaijan.

"At the same time, Moscow is intensifying its cooperation with Baku. Specifically, Russia and Azerbaijan recently signed an agreement increasing Gazprom`s purchases of Azeri gas. Both the sides consider the long-term agreement most beneficial. By offering the highest price for Azeri gas, Russia complicated the Nabucco member-states` access to Azeri gas. Thus, Russia confirmed its special status," Tanayev said.

In this context, the Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian presidential meeting is one more opportunity for Russia. Moscow views the Madrid principles as a constructive and realistic way of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They are a "theoretical opportunity" for a bargain - territories for guarantees.

"However, we can see that neither side is yet ready for the bargain. It may be a matter of time - Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to the preamble to the principles and promised to make their proposals. Now it is the international mediators, particularly Russia, that have to encourage the sides to start the bargain, without worsening its relations with either of them," Tanayev said.