Japanese Political Scientist Dr. Wakizaka: France and UAE are behind the conflict

Japanese Political Scientist Dr. Keisuke Wakizaka speaking about the conflicts after Armenia's attack on Azerbaijan said: “France, in particular, is making great efforts to seize energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. France supporting Greece to negotiate with Turkey, at the same time together with UAE led Armenia to attack Azerbaijan in order to attract Turkey’s attention to the Caucasus.”

Stating that the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict will be against Russia, Faculty member of Istanbul Gelisim University Department of Political Science and International Relations Asst. Prof. Dr. Keisuke Wakizaka said: “If the conflict continues, this time the possibility of spreading to Russian territory is also being discussed. Now, no matter how powerful and influential politician of the Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen in the world, the reputation for Putin has decreased significantly compared to the period in Russia. If the conflict in the South Caucasus spreads over the North Caucasus to Russia or the regions it dominates, then Russia will face a major crisis. Behind the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict there are drives of France and UAE against Turkey and it can be said that the role of France and UAE is much more severe than Russia.”

“DOMESTIC POLICIES ARE EFFECTIVE”

Indicating that the internal policies of the two countries also had an effect on the conflict, Wakizaka said: “Especially after the pro-Western Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018, the fight between the pro-Russian Karabakh clan and Pashinyan continues. In particular, it was critical of the approach to relations with the Karabakh clan Pashinyan the Karabakh conflict and Turkey-Azerbaijan and the government wanted to follow tougher stance on this issue. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis significantly damaged the economic situation of Armenia and the legitimacy of the Pashinyan administration began to be questioned by the public. Pashinyan gained his own superiority against the pro-Russian Karabakh clan by organizing attacks on Azerbaijani territory, and the US and Russia's standing close to Pashinyan made Pashinyan an advantage in the elite conflict within Armenia.”