Azernews.Az

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said Moscow was seeking to bring the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan together for talks on the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
Visiting staunch ally Armenia, Medvedev pointed out the importance of resolving the long-standing Garabagh problem as soon as possible, reaffirming Russia`s support for a negotiated solution.
Russia co-chairs the OSCE Minsk Group (MG), which is brokering the peace process, along with the United States and France.
Medvedev admitted recent developments in the region had shown that military resolution of conflicts had no prospects.
"The war in Georgia has shown the need to resolve disputes on the basis of international principles and by negotiations. I hope that the parties [to the Garabagh conflict] are ready to move the negotiating process forward," Medvedev told a joint news conference after meeting his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisian in Yerevan on Tuesday.
Medvedev said he hoped to meet together with Sarkisian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Russia "in the very near future."
The war in Georgia erupted when Moscow sent troops to crush a bid by Georgian troops to reassert control over the rebel region of South Ossetia. Military action ended with a French-brokered ceasefire agreement on August 17, after five days of deadly fighting.
Sarkisian said Armenia was ready to keep on negotiating based on the Madrid proposals, a set of basic principles on the conflict resolution submitted by the mediators to the Azerbaijani and Armenian governments late in 2007.
He claimed the proposals dwelled upon self-determination of nations and the solution of various issues of concern for Armenia. "The Garabagh problem should be solved on the basis of compromise."
Aliyev and Sarkisian last met outside St. Petersburg, Russia early in June. The meeting, which produced no result, lasted almost three hours. Baku explained the fruitless outcome of the presidential talks with the fact that any talk about a solution is out of place given that a number of issues regarding the conflict settlement remain unresolved.
The Armenian leader told the press after talks with Medvedev that his country was allegedly not a forepost for the Kremlin in the South Caucasus region. He claimed Armenia was not being forced to maintain friendly relations with Russia, citing a proverb that goes "you can`t be amicable by force."
The Medvedev-Sarkisian talks centered on a wide range of issues, including construction of a nuclear power plant and railways. Some 1,200 businesses with Russian capital are operating in the South Caucasus republic, which is a high indicator for a small country like Armenia, according to Sarkisian.
Sarkisian said it was time to talk about "bold joint projects."
"The Russian president believes that our economic relations should reach the level of political ties," he said.
Medvedev said Armenia was "more than just a friend, neighbor and ally."
"Our relations have a special chemistry, which has evolved in the course of the complicated Armenian and Russian history," he said.
Medvedev noted that Moscow was also expecting to deepen its relations with Yerevan within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military arm of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that comprises both countries.
Ahead of talks with his Armenian counterpart, Medvedev presided at the renaming of a central Yerevan square as Russia Square. Building his address at the event on messages of friendship and cooperation, he said the development demonstrated Armenia`s commitment to his country.
"We want the Armenian people to live in a strong, flourishing and stable state.
"I am sure the Armenian people also wish us peace, power and well-being," Medvedev told the ceremony.
He said Russia was a guarantor of security in the Caucasus, pledging it would do everything in its power to bolster peace and stability in the turbulent region.
With regard to multinational strategic issues, Medvedev said Russia and Armenia shared views and were capable of responding to existing threats.
Sarkisian, for his part, said Russia-Armenia relationship "is stronger than ever." Bilateral ties are comprehensively developing, and the two countries are signing up to implement new joint projects. In the first nine months of 2008, Russian-Armenian trade amounted to $600m, and the figure is expected to reach $1bn by the year-end.
On the same day, President Medvedev paid tribute to the victims of the so-called Armenian genocide at the Tsitsernakabed site.
Medvedev also visited a cognac factory in Yerevan. While visiting the facility, he stopped by a symbolic "barrel of peace". The barrel of cognac, which has been kept there since Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire accord with Russia`s mediation in 1994, was slated for opening on the day the long-standing Garabagh conflict is resolved. Medvedev put his signature on the barrel. He was also presented with a barrel of cognac.
Medvedev`s visit to Armenia is of interest from a number of aspects. Both Russian and Western media have been publishing reports citing Yerevan`s leaning toward the West. Some observers believe the conflict over South Ossetia, which disrupted gas supplies to Armenia, may be spurring Armenia to seek other supporters in addition to Russia. Just hours before the Russian president`s visit to Yerevan, Sarkisian made a pro-Western statement. Hosting the NATO representative on South Caucasus and Central Asia, Robert Simmons, on Monday, Sarkisian said a slant toward Europe remained one of the priorities in Yerevan`s foreign policy. He said his country would continue its cooperation with the alliance, which represents a key component in ensuring Armenia`s security. Simmons, for his part, highly assessed NATO-Armenia collaboration, adding that there were "good opportunities" for developing bilateral relations.
Yerevan is a member of NATO`s Partnership for Peace program, and hosted alliance exercises over the past three weeks.
Medvedev`s visit to Armenia, which Russia considers its forepost in the region, has certain aims, analysts say. The Kremlin is apparently trying to enquire about Yerevan`s final position on Abkhazia and South Ossetia, after Armenia took an ambiguous stance on the issue at the CSTO`s summit in Bishkek and refused to follow Moscow`s lead in recognizing the independence of the rebel Georgian regions.
On August 26, President Medvedev signed a decree recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
It is highly likely that the Russian leader was urging Sarkisian to relinquish the policy of Western integration during behind-the-scenes talks with his Armenian counterpart.
Armenia is increasingly being courted by Western powers, including the United States, and long-time foe Turkey, a big NATO power in the region.