Expert: France eyes Armenia as ally, Georgia as fellow-traveler, Azerbaijan as opponentOctober 9, 2011 - 15:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian political analyst Stanislav Tarasov thinks that French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the South Caucasus was an event of utmost importance. “The visit took place after Paris demonstrated heightened interest in the developments in North Africa and Middle East to strengthen its influence there. It's enough to remember that Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron appeared in Libya several hours before the arrival of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Besides, France shows interest in Syria, whose relations with Turkey have recently deteriorated. Paris as is plants 'red flags' around Turkey,” Tarasov told Analitika.at.ua. “There is an impression that France eyes Armenia as an ally, Georgia as a fellow-traveler and Azerbaijan as an opponent,” he said. According to Tarasov, France plans a large-scale political operation in the region. “First, it may press for resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict with due account taken of historical compensation Turks owe to Armenia and compelling them to betray the main ally - Azerbaijan. Then, steps towards Iran will follow in order to resolve the nuclear issue and create geopolitical counterbalance to Turkey and, at the same time, get access to energy resources of the Persian Gulf,” he said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |