Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement brokered by Trump was a brilliantly staged political PR campaign, says Nezavisimaya Gazeta
On Aug. 8, in what came as a surprise to many, the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders visited the U.S. capital, where, expressing gratitude to President Donald Trump, they signed “peace wishes,” Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports.
As noted, with just three strokes of a pen, the Western-leaning part of the world declared the formation of a “new order” in the South Caucasus — one that does not mention Georgia and pushes Russia off the “small chessboard.”
“We witnessed a brilliantly staged political PR campaign. In particular, the collective West once again decided to act unilaterally, according to its own taste and opinion,” the website writes.
The newspaper pointed out that Azerbaijan and Armenia, on the one hand boosted by Turkey’s support and their victory in the Second Karabakh War, and on the other hand lured by promises of Europe’s bright future, could repeat Kyiv’s mistake. The Kremlin remains silent, not because it has been marginalized, but because it is “focusing.” However, Georgia’s situation is somewhat paradoxical.
It should not be assumed that the opening of the “Zangezur Corridor” will deprive Georgia of its transit role or turn it into a less significant territory, channeling all flows from Central Asia and Russia through the South Caucasus along a single route. Diversification of supply mechanisms is a fundamental requirement for any business agreement.
“Moreover, considering the corridor’s difficulties as a whole, demand along the established route will not disappear. Regardless of perspective, Georgia remains the region’s most stable and democratic country. Its governance system has proven resilient and consistent, as all key and strategic agreements are not subject to disruption or revision due to protests, sudden revolutions, leadership resignations, or changes in the political elite. This is an important factor when Donald Trump speaks about investments: money loves predictability and stability. Armenia, for instance, cannot boast such cohesion, and any loss of electoral support for Pashinyan could completely change the situation,” the article concluded.
