Azernews.Az

BAKU – An Azerbaijani presidential aide has said Russia is Azerbaijan’s strategic partner but its failing to unequivocally support Baku’s cause in its long-standing conflict with Armenia stands in the way of forging an alliance with Moscow.

Ali Hasanov, head of the Presidential Administration socio-political department, told a Russia-Azerbaijan roundtable meeting on Thursday that Russia could support the neighboring country’s stance, but this might cause an immediate souring of its relations with other countries.

"Russia has therefore taken an intermediate position. The United States and France adhere to the same stance," Hasanov said.

The three countries have been mediating talks on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh conflict for nearly two decades. The negotiations, brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group, kicked off after a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a shaky cease-fire in 1994. The mediators’ efforts have been largely fruitless so far. Armenia still occupies 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory in defiance of international law.

Hasanov said further that there are more issues that Azerbaijan and Russia concur upon than differences.

He emphasized that Russia’s relations with any country definitely should not affect its ties with Azerbaijan.

"The same applies to the United States, Iran and France. For Iran, we are a friendly and neighboring state. But are Iran’s friends our friends too? Iran’s friend is Armenia. Are Iran’s enemies our foes? Iran’s enemies are Israel and the U.S. But those are not our foes."