ArmInfo. The fact that the first visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin after re-election was to Turkey, is not a cause for concern for Armenia, although this fact can not cause much pleasure. The head of the Hay Dat office and political issues of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau Giro Manoyan said this at a press conference on April 7.
At the same time, he noted that during the Putin-Erdogan meeting they were not discussed issues concerning Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. "Therefore it is unlikely that in a similar situation Turkey decided to defend interests of Azerbaijan. However, we need to be vigilant and constantly to monitor what Moscow and Ankara are talking about, "the politician stressed.
Manoyan noted that after the meeting of the leaders of Russia and Turkey, another meeting took place, this time in a trilateral format, at which the Iranian president was present. "The fact that after the Putin-Erdogan meeting the meeting with the Iranian president was also not a very good signal, however, all three sides have their own interests both in the regional plan and in the Syrian issue, and if in some way they and reached a consensus, then in other issues, there are quite significant contradictions between them, "the head of the Hay Dat office said.
Manoyan stressed that Iran, Turkey and Russia are interested in the territorial integrity of Syria. Although, in his opinion, Ankara shows cunning in the issue of territorial integrity. "Think for yourself, Turkey has already invaded Afrin and settled comfortably on this territory." Moreover, I want to note that the invasion of Syria was quite difficult, but Turkey still took this step. "What could have led her to such actions? Of course, that Turkey always had territorial claims against Syria, and now, having carried out this invasion, I doubt that Ankara will surrender so easily and leave the territory of Syria, "the politician said.
According to Manoyan, the most dangerous for Armenia, in strengthening Russian-Turkish relations, is that over time they can become strategic. "In this case, such cooperation will cost us dearly, since Russia is Armenia's strategic partner," he noted, noting that there are many contradictions between Russia and Turkey on the same Syrian issue. In particular, Russia is a supporter of Syria's remaining President Bashar Assad while Turkey is against Assad's presidency. "However, at the same time, both sides are against strengthening the Kurds in Syria and their cooperation with the United States," Manoyan said, adding that it is not yet clear whether the contradictions in the Syrian issue will lead to a cooling of Russian-Turkish relations. a split in cooperation, or vice versa, whether this cooperation becomes more active. "In any case, we should monitor the situation, and not allow too close a rapprochement," concluded Manoyan.