Meeting of Valery Gerasimov and Joseph Dunford in Baku shows level of trust to Azerbaijan, political analysts report

At a meeting in Baku held on February 16, Valery Gerasimov and Joseph Dunford, chiefs of general headquarters of Russia and the United States, respectively, agreed on joint measures to improve the safety of the military activities, reduction of tension and risks of incidents. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD).

According to political analyst Rasim Musabekov, a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, the choice of Baku as a venue for a meeting of the chiefs of the general headquarters of Russia and the United States was predetermined by a number of circumstances.

On the one hand, the Valery Gerasimov's name is included in a list of sanctions in the West, and thus, the meeting could not take place in the US or Europe. On the other hand, in view of the agenda of the meeting, which mainly dealt with the situation in the Middle East and, in particular, Syria and Iraq, it was logical to hold a meeting near the region in question. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Rasim Musabekov.

According to him, in view of its pro-Western orientation, Georgia was unacceptable to Moscow, while Armenia with its Russian military bases was unacceptable for the USA. Therefore, Azerbaijan appeared to be the most optimal neutral platform.

Besides, According to Rasim Musabekov, the choice of Baku was also a message of Russia and the United States to Iran to ensure that Tehran "does not spread its ambitions in northern direction."

Rasim Musabekov has also noted the importance of the meeting in Baku for the international image of Azerbaijan.

"Implementation of the US-Russian meeting of top-ranking military leaders in Baku has once again attracted the attention of the international media and politicians to Azerbaijan. Of course, it is a factor contributing to the growth of the Azerbaijan's credibility as a country-contributor to the cause of international détente," believes the political analyst.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.