Nagorno –Karabakh’s ties with Russia should be as strong as with Armenia –Russian expert says

YEREVAN, October 31. / ARKA /. Nagorno–Karabakh’s ties with Russia should be as strong as with Armenia, Mikhail Alexandrov, head of the Caucasus Department of the CIS Institute in Moscow, told ARKA.

Alexandrov is one of many historians, researchers and political analysts from Russia and the Caucasus  taking part in an international conference in Moscow dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Gulistan Treaty The Gulistan Treaty concluded between imperial Russia and Persia in  1813 as a result of the first Russia-Persian confirmed inclusion of modern day Azerbaijan, Dagestan and Eastern Georgia into the Russian Empire.

"Nagorno-Karabakh was the first Armenian state to have joined Russia. This is recorded in the Gulistan Treaty, and to some extent Russia is more responsible for Nagorno-Karabakh than the modern-day Armenia,” Alexandrov said.

According to him, this aspect of the Gulistan Treaty was voiced at the conference, but in modern politics it is not present.

"This is a very important aspect. The treaty defined the role of Russia as the main foreign power in the region. This is prescribed by the treaty. This should now be realized by all,” he said.

He added that the treaty laid the basic parameters for the existence of the Caucasus in the last 200 years, and not only of the Caucasus, but also parts of Russia's North Caucasus. He said this is why this treaty is of fundamental importance for the situation that now exists in the Caucasus and the Caspian region.

He said according to some reports at the conference, the status of the Caspian Sea is also largely determined by the parameters that were laid in the Gulistan Treaty. "So, it is quite right to mark the 200th anniversary of this important event," he said.

The purpose of the conference, he said, is to emphasize the historical significance of the Gulistan Treaty, and also to consider its relevance to the current situation in the Caucasus.

He said the historians and researchers are from Russia, Armenia and Russia’s republic of Dagestan. A representative of the Talysh people is expected to also make a report. 

‘Unfortunately, we do not have scientists from Azerbaijan, but Azerbaijani reporter has arrived in Moscow to cover this event. In my opinion, they are even more than Armenian reporters,’ he said.

A debate today at the conference was to  discuss the impact of the Gulistan Treaty on the political development of the Caucasus, including the Caspian problems, inter-ethnic relations, and the relationship of the Caucasian states and the influence of the great powers.

The results of the discussions will be summarized in a newsletter that will be posted at www.materik.ru. .-0-