The Hayots Ashkharh newspaper writes: “After giving Russia carte blanche to establish politico-military control over the region, the U.S. seems to be underhand pushing Turkey forward there for Turkey, in turn, to defend the communications running through Georgia and Azerbaijan from Russia, as well as support the two countries in their opposing Russia. Evidence thereof is the recently launched oil export from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan and attempts to revitalize Nabucco.

“Indeed, if the political aim is ‘to give Turkey a job’ in an underhand way, we are dealing with the West’s double game. And if Turkey shows independence in this matter, the deepening Russian-Turkish military cooperation can be understood. We think the developments are following the latter course. The point is that, under the Russian-Turkish agreement of 1921, Turkey has no right to challenge Russia’s control over the territories NE of the Akhuryan and Araks rivers, except for Adzharian autonomy and status of Nakhichevan. It is no mere chance that Azerbaijan has recently been sniping at the Armenian borders from Nakhichevan. This signifies official Baku’s wish to legalize Turkish military presence in Nakhichevan thereby cementing the Turkish-Azerbaijani agreement on strategic cooperation and mutual assistance. However, Turkey, at least for the present, is not doing it so as not to break the agreement of 1921. The question is: why is Turkey signing an agreement on mutual assistance with Azerbaijan, anticipating the protocol on amendments to the Russian-Armenian agreement on a Russian military base in Armenia of March 16, 1995?

Obviously, they are trying to counterbalance Russian-Armenian military cooperation thereby freeing Baku’s hands for political bargains with Russia.”