“Every country has solid interests in Azerbaijan. For the US it is a component of the Eastern policy. It is a non-islamic country. Certainly it is not a counterbalance to Iran in the region, but it is one of the many stones for the US to keep the balance. Azerbaijan is Turkey’s ally Turkey is a member of NATO,” says Russian expert on political issues Sergey Makedonov concerning the issue of Karabakh’s recognition. “For Russia Azerbaijan is a neighbor, they have a common sea, the Caspian Sea. The recognition of Karabakh’s independence means to give up on the relations with Azerbaijan as it happened with Georgia, I mean ceasing the diplomatic relations. Russia and the US don’t want it. However I understand that the both parties understand that it is very hard to return Karabakh to Azerbaijan, and even impossible,” said Mr. Makedonov.
