Whatever claims Turkey may lay to playing a more essential role in dealing with problems in the South Caucasus, the fact is that it will never resolve any problem without coordinating its actions with Russia, Andrey Areshev, Deputy Director General of the Strategic Culture Foundation, told NEWS.am, speaking of Turkish Premier Recep Erdogan’s visit to Moscow scheduled for January 12.

He said that both bilateral and regional problems are normally discussed during such visits. The expert believes that the sides will lay emphasis on energy problems, “various gas and oil pipelines turkey is most interested in.”

As regards RF Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s forthcoming visit to Armenia, Areshev pointed out everything is quite clear: “Besides bilateral relations, the sides will, of course, discuss regional problems, particularly the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, with no progress toward a settlement being observed,” the expert said.

Areshev believes that Azerbaijan’s bellicose statements hinder the peace process within the OSCE Minsk Group. According to him, much will be talked about the prospects for settling the conflict this year at the meeting, but the good will repeatedly shown by Russia and Armenia is not sufficient for the conflict to be settled.

Since Azerbaijan presents the Turkish Premier’s discussions of energy problems in Moscow as a key to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Areshev pointed out that any conditions on the part of Turkey at out of the question.

“Issues of Russian-Turkish energy cooperation are too complicated to be linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Especially as the problem cannot be resolved of the individual will of either Russia or Turkey,” Areshev said. He pointed out that no breakthrough should be expected of the forthcoming meetings.

T.P.