Azernews.Az

BAKU - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s proposal made during his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Batumi on establishing a confederation of the two countries should not be seen as "the only and unfeasible proposal", an Azerbaijani analyst has said.

Natig Miri told the Baku-based ANS TV channel that such cooperation has been forged in the past, as the trans-Caucasia Seim comprising the three South Caucasus countries operated in 1918.

"Though it was short-lived, there is such a practice in history. Whereas establishment of such a union based in Georgia was sought at the time by the Czar and Bolshevik Russia, the confederation proposal, being voiced by Saakashvili today, undoubtedly comes from the West."

The analyst explained that the West wants to see the South Caucasus region as a whole politically and economically, as "such geo-political reality" would facilitate from all aspects integration into Europe and the solution of outstanding problems. At the same time, this could be a factor guaranteeing Western geo-strategic security, Miri said.

"This [confederation establishment], however, appears quite problematic due to its contradicting Russia, Iran and Armenia’s political, economic and military interests. This is because if Turkey is added to this strategic partnership, this could cause a significant shift in the balance of power, which in the current conditions could spark utter resistance from the mentioned countries…" Miri said.

He said the fact that the Azerbaijani president did not express a stance on the issue indicates that though this is "a proposal worthwhile discussing", it is unfeasible over the short term.
President Aliyev paid a short visit on Sunday to Georgia’s Black Sea town of Batumi. The Georgian president told a joint press conference following talks with the Azerbaijani leader that Tbilisi was in talks with its South Caucasus neighbor on "confederative cooperation".