Senator Grigori Karasin Responds to Azerbaijani MP's Inappropriate Remarks

The Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Federation Council of Russia, Grigori Karasin, has responded to the harsh statements made by Azerbaijani MP Gudrat Hasanguliyev on his Telegram channel.

“I cannot help but respond to the unfriendly statements of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis deputy Gudrat Hasanguliyev. In response to the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement of July 15 this year, he claims that ‘Russia does not want peace in the South Caucasus and is interested in continuing the bloody conflict between the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples.’ The parliamentarian has even allowed himself to call our country ‘untrustworthy and bloodthirsty’ and has demanded the withdrawal of Russian peacekeeping forces,” he wrote, expressing hope that such anti-Russian attacks do not reflect the official position of Baku. According to him, it is important for Azerbaijan's parliament to also assess these remarks.

“Let me remind the deputy that at all stages of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, with the help of Russia, it was possible to stop military operations, bring the parties to the negotiating table, and reach compromises. In the autumn of 2020, President Putin stopped the bloodshed in the region. Tri-party agreements were developed at the highest level with Moscow's participation, which serve as the basis for the resolution of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. The Russian peacekeepers stationed by the decision of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia have established peace in Karabakh, helping to resolve urgent humanitarian and socio-economic issues. Just one fact: since November 2020, the peacekeeping contingent has cleared more than 2,500 hectares of land, including almost 700 kilometers of roads. Our peacekeepers have enabled Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Karabakh to discuss the peace agenda. We consider the calls for the withdrawal of the Russian contingent absolutely irresponsible,” Karasin wrote.

He noted that Hasanguliyev's statements completely contradict the spirit and content of the declaration on allied cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan dated February 22, 2022, and do not correspond to the high-level relations between Baku and Moscow, including in the parliamentary sphere.

“We in the Federation Council are ready to continue constructive dialogue with our Azerbaijani colleagues who, as we know, are an absolute majority,” Karasin wrote.

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani MP stated: “It is necessary to summon the Russian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and provide him with comprehensive information about the actions that Azerbaijan will undertake. It is also necessary to demand from Moscow to refrain henceforth from provocative behavior that turns the signed documents between our countries into useless papers, presenting Russia as an untrustworthy and bloody state in the eyes of partners and neighbors. We must officially declare that there can be no talk of extending the mandate of Russian peacekeepers in Azerbaijan. The year 2025, when the mandate of Russian peacekeepers expires, is also a deadline for peace negotiations. If we do not clearly state this position, negotiations will continue indefinitely.”