POLITICS
Russian expert on anti-Azerbaijani initiatives in PACE: It is time to get used to the West’s hypocrisy – COMMENTARY
Baku, January 23, AZERTAC
The hypocrisy of the West will persist until the key EU states are led by people oriented to the national interests of their own countries, the Russian political expert and specialist on ethnic conflicts and security, Yevgeniy Mikhaylov, has told AZERTAC while commenting on several anti-Azerbaijani initiatives and decisions adopted on the first day of the winter session of PACE in Strasbourg on January 22.
“As soon as Russia began to advocate its own position in the EU, it immediately began to be restricted in its rights, as a result of which we dropped out of PACE. Who was affected by this? Only the EU! The situation with Azerbaijan is the same. Baku vehemently defends its own interests in the international arena, and this is their response answer. They don't know what to do. On the one hand, there is dependence on Azerbaijan's resources and, on the other, the desire of Paris and Berlin to undermine the common interests of Moscow and Baku in the South Caucasus. In addition, there is influence of the United States. For the EU bureaucrats, the choice is obvious - to put pressure on Azerbaijan under the pretext of helping Armenia, which allegedly suffered in the conflict and offended by both Baku and Moscow,” the expert said.
According to Mikhaylov, Azerbaijan and Russia should not be distracted by such behavior of the so-called collective West.
“I think it is time to get used to the hypocrisy of the West and just continue to defend their own national interests. Let me note that the presidents of our countries have excellent relations, which are only getting stronger. Together we will be able to defend the interests of Baku, which directly overlap in the South Caucasus. And this situation will persist until the key EU states are led by people oriented to the national interests of their own countries, such as Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin,” the expert emphasized.