The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[crusader1492]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Where is Armenian - the author of this thread?

He' traveling in Armenia. Perhaps he does not have 24/7 access to a computer at this time.

You're doing a great job in his stead.

[zeytuntsi]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=19161

MEDVEDEV MAKES SPLASH IN BAKU
Shahin Abbasov

ISN, Switzerland
Monday, 07 July 2008

The Russian president pulls out all the stops in Azerbaijan, but is
it more style than substance?

Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev concluded 3 July talks with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev by pronouncing Baku to be Moscow's "strategic
partner." Meanwhile, the head of the Kremlin-controlled conglomerate
Gazprom, Alexei Miller, announced that talks would soon begin on
the Russian firm's purchase of Azerbaijani gas. But experts remain
unconvinced that the upbeat rhetoric surrounding Medvedev's visit
will lead to any change in the existing bilateral relationship.

During their meeting in Baku, Medvedev and Aliyev issued a declaration
of friendship and presided over the signing of four intergovernmental
agreements covering such areas as customs and privatization. The
friendship declaration was vaguely worded and short on specifics,
although Russia did seem to endorse Baku's position that any political
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should not undermine
Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, according to a report distributed
by the APA news agency. At the same time, Medvedev was non-committal
in his public comments, saying that Russia favors resolution of the
Karabakh conflict through direct talks between the Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents.

The two sides expressed a desire for better coordination in
the security sphere, and announced an intention to complete the
delimitation of their shared border. In another section of the
friendship declaration, Baku and Moscow pledged to promote a "central
role in international affairs" for the United Nations.

Miller, the Gazprom CEO, made perhaps the biggest news of the visit,
telling journalists that Russia and Azerbaijan had agreed to start
talks covering the purchases of Azerbaijani gas. "Azerbaijan will
become another country where Gazprom can buy gas while just few years
ago, our [Russian] gas was purchased by Azerbaijan," Miller said. He
declined to speculate on how much gas Gazprom was hoping to buy from
Azerbaijan, saying only that the company was prepared pay market
prices to obtain "maximum volume."

While on its surface the Kremlin's ability to cajole Azerbaijan
into talking about gas sales may seem like a diplomatic coup. But
Azerbaijani experts are skeptical that Medvedev's visit alone will
prompt Baku to make a geopolitical shift in Moscow's direction.

Elhan Shahinoglu, head of the Baku-based Atlas non-governmental
think-tank, suggested that Aliyev, not wanting to antagonize Russia,
was stringing Medvedev and Gazprom along, essentially playing for
time. "Baku will try to delay the issue [of gas sales] for as long
as possible," Shahinoglu said to EurasiaNet.

According to Shahinoglu, Baku would prefer not to see Russia become a
middleman for Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe. Instead, Azerbaijani
officials are more interested in pursuing the US- and EU-supported
Nabucco project, which would evade Russia and link Caspian Basin
natural gas directly to European markets. The dilemma for Baku is
that Nabucco has not yet received the final go-ahead, and remains
stuck in the feasibility-study stage.

Another question mark for Azerbaijani export plans is the fact that
Turkmenistan has yet to make a firm commitment to shipping gas
via a trans-Caspian pipeline that would connect into the Nabucco
network. Such uncertainty reinforces Baku's inclination to "not rush
with answer to Russia's offer," Shahinoglu said.

Baku-based energy expert Ilham Shaban believes that, at present,
the maximum amount of gas that Azerbaijan is willing to sell
Russia annually is 1 billion cubic meters. In addition, Azerbaijani
officials are disinclined to accede to Gazprom's desire to purchase
large volumes from the Shah Deniz field. "Baku is unlikely to agree
to sell gas from Shah Deniz to Russia," Shaban told EurasiaNet.

Other experts, such as political scientist Hikmet Hajizade, say
that while Russia currently seems keen on energy cooperation with
Azerbaijan, that stance would change quickly if Nabucco became a
reality. Azerbaijani participation in Nabucco would automatically
transform Baku and Moscow into bitter competitors. In this event,
Hajizade added, Moscow would likely institute economic and diplomatic
policies designed to coerce Baku.

Shahinoglu, the think-tank expert, predicted that if Baku pursues
an export strategy that is not to Moscow's liking, then the Kremlin
would retaliate in other areas. "It is likely that Russia will use
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to pressure Baku," he said.

Shahinoglu and other experts are also wary of Russia's tendency to
use corporate investment as a cudgel to compel former Soviet states
to follow the Kremlin's line. Many Russian firms, especially energy
companies, are awash in capital and are always on the outlook to
obtain stakes in neighboring countries' infrastructures, such as
energy distribution networks. During his visit to Baku, Medvedev was
accompanied by large group of Russia's business leaders, including
Gazprom's Miller, LukOil President Vagit Alekperov, and VTB Bank
chairman Andrei Kostin.

While Shahinoglu characterized the current state of Azerbaijani-Russian
relations as "normal," he and other experts pointed to a trouble
spot on the immediate horizon. The dilemma concerns a border spat
involving two Azerbaijani villages - Xraxoba and Uryanoba, located
in the Khachmaz Region along the border with the Russian autonomous
republic of Dagestan.

The two villages were transferred to Russia for a period of 20 years
during Soviet times, and although the transfer agreement expired in
2004, Russia has shown no signs of returning the settlements.

Indeed, the fate of the villages is perhaps the largest impediment
to the completion of border delimitation, as the residents of those
villages have received Russian citizenship and have been thoroughly
integrated in Russia's political and economic system.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Where is Armenian - the author of this thread?

Greetings North Pole, I have been in Yerevan Armenia for a week now. I will be here for the next two months. Although I have been reading the materials posted in this forum approximately every other day I have been just too busy to participate. What's more, being in a public "internet cafe" is not the same as being in the confines of one's home. Crusader is right, you are doing great job. I appriciate your presence here. If you have the time please maintain this thread and report bad post to the moderator.

[KarotheGreat]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

I am pretty sure that our russian politicians arent playing any fair game towards armenians,any moment if azerry cows wink an eye to russian politicans the armenians will fall into secondary catagory in respect of any kind sentimental support on international platform by russians,here a lot of contributors are very optimistic for the support of russians for armenia ,which is not the reality but just a hopless dream.I am sure you can ask questions for your self ,_______why russia is not ever supporting garabag indipendence ? _______because they have hope any moment the azzyry cows can give some imprtant contribution for their energy policy for that reason they waste the time of armenians playing this endless unfair game .
_____But the investment in armenia by russians are reaching 2 billion dollars olmost ,why they do invest there ? how they managed it._______They are very aware that corruption in armenia is so big and the country is olmost on sale for two penny , their collobrators in armenia dont want to risk nothing at all.Unfortunatelly the russians are the owners of armenia and they are in every point in armenia ,to get access and process of any information, they are in telecominucation,transport,energy sector,yet they make a handsom profit over it,what else. The combat hardware pictures of Mr. Armenian dont reflect a lot when it comes to real fight situation where the moral level of russian army and its staff hasnt got firmness to be confident in .If war will break up in this regon of armenia the armenians shouldnt depend "ONLY"on russia since from 1992 they havent done nothing for armenians.(their arm support is for THE russian army bases ,nothing else,the rest is sold by money which comes from diaspora armenians).Russians are not brave enough to get in fight with USA army,they are not playing a clean game to be considered firm alliy for armenians .So far they havent put any pressure on international area for the recocnition of garabag .Are they waiting azzyre cows to get more armament and more support which will cause heavy losses for armenians in case war brake up .?

What the xxxx are you bs there man you're so wrong that it isn't even funny. You say the Russins haven't done anythig for Armenian sicne 1992? Let see they kept Turkish Troops out of Armenia in 1993 they threatend to bomb turkish cities to the ground if they even dared to send one soldier in Armenia. And they are still protecting the border.

They gave us the weapons to finish the war in 1994, they ship weapons worth 1 bil dollars that was the thing that destroyed the weakened Azeris. You are so right they don't do anything for Armenia

And if Russia wanted they could have given Artsakh to the Azeris, who would have stopped them. And why should they recognize Artsakh when we haven't dne that. Please ask your self that.

And when someone invests somewhere they are expecting profit from it. Or they would't invest doens't that soun logical to you. So Why should the Russians be any diffrent.

And if they had left us standing in the cold back in the 90 Azeris would be their biggest friend but they haven't doe than. Thye have helped us and are still doing that. In the Un they got our back. And we get those weapons real cheap. No one gets weapons for free, it costs the Russians money to build those things and they need to make profit.

I wonder if you are not a little kid with wet dreams about the Us helping Hayastan. Because they never will!!!!!!!!! They are allied to our enemys!!! And their next president wants for Azeris to become an allie of the Us!!!
So Armenia will choose Russia over the Us every day.

[robertik1]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

What the xxxx are you bs there man you're so wrong that it isn't even funny. You say the Russins haven't done anythig for Armenian sicne 1992? Let see they kept Turkish Troops out of Armenia in 1993 they threatend to bomb turkish cities to the ground if they even dared to send one soldier in Armenia. And they are still protecting the border.

They gave us the weapons to finish the war in 1994, they ship weapons worth 1 bil dollars that was the thing that destroyed the weakened Azeris. You are so right they don't do anything for Armenia

And if Russia wanted they could have given Artsakh to the Azeris, who would have stopped them. And why should they recognize Artsakh when we haven't dne that. Please ask your self that.

And when someone invests somewhere they are expecting profit from it. Or they would't invest doens't that soun logical to you. So Why should the Russians be any diffrent.

And if they had left us standing in the cold back in the 90 Azeris would be their biggest friend but they haven't doe than. Thye have helped us and are still doing that. In the Un they got our back. And we get those weapons real cheap. No one gets weapons for free, it costs the Russians money to build those things and they need to make profit.

I wonder if you are not a little kid with wet dreams about the Us helping Hayastan. Because they never will!!!!!!!!! They are allied to our enemys!!! And their next president wants for Azeris to become an allie of the Us!!!
So Armenia will choose Russia over the Us every day.

Amen brother.

[aray]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

I have yet to see any Armenian calling Artsakh the ‘garabag’. Does anybody else smell a rat?

[robertik1]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

I have yet to see any Armenian calling Artsakh the ‘garabag’. Does anybody else smell a rat?

Yup, did someone just lay a turd?

[Illuminator]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Iam not suprise the ignorance of someone who is disturbe against the realities so began to show some other inrelevant matter to discharge his inner disconformities,good point ,we can understand your quality. International political maps indicate the land as nagorno-karabahk,shortly karabag artzag is armenian,we are not writing in armenian .

You are in Colombia? Uribe's Colombia?

Tell us what you think of Uribe and we will know what you are immediately.

Iwant to be commander in USA army to defet all the nations agains american way of life

Hmmmmm, from your profile.

[Illuminator]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

NSA???? Colombia Plan?

[Illuminator]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

I have yet to see any Armenian calling Artsakh the ‘garabag’. Does anybody else smell a rat?

They can't fool Armenians. We can detect RATS immediately.