UNDER THE COMPULSION OF BALANCE OF INTERESTS

 The ongoing pressure on Turkey from the West, which has the context of rivalry between the two main centers of power, is aimed at preventing the further activity and actions of the unpredictable ally. It is a matter of curbing the Turkish authorities' ambitions not only in the South Caucasus, but also in other regions. In this sense, the Turkish leadership is not having a good time, even the passive rhetoric of official Ankara regarding the events taking place on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border does not go unnoticed. More vivid, the speech of RecepTayipErdogan, necessarily appeared in the mouth of IlhamAliev. In such an unfavorable situation, Erdogan is preparing for a meeting with US President Joe Biden. And on June 7, Foreign Minister MevlutChavushoglu was already in Paris on an official visit. Erdogan spoke to TRT (Turkish State Broadcasting Corporation) about his meeting with the US President on June 14 within the framework of the NATO summit in Brussels. He will first ask the President of the United States what is the cause of the tension in the Turkish-American relations. After all, there has never been tension in bilateral relations during the rule of the presidents representing the Democratic and Republican parties. Although Erdogan addressed the question to Washington, he decided to answer it himself, the reason being the issue of the Armenian Genocide. Erdogan is angry that Washington is bringing this sensitive issue to the agenda. He then referred to the Artsakh issue, saying that for years the Minsk Group co-chairs had not been able to solve the problem, Azerbaijan had solved its own problem. "Now, in general, how do you get Turkey involved in an issue, which has nothing to do it?”Erdogan said, adding that “Turkey is not a dwarf state, those who oppress Turkey in this way are losing an important friend".

Foreign Minister MevlutChavushoglu, in his turn, conveyed an official opinion to the French newspaper L'Opinion ahead of his visit to Paris, in which he called France a "friendly" ally with which they can jointly contribute to the establishment of lasting peace in the South Caucasus. This, in turn, will help the prosperity of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Chavushoglu is very dissatisfied with the Armenian "extremists" who have taken Turkish-French relations hostage with their baseless statements. If it is possible to prevent it, Turkey and France with their joint efforts can best contribute to the stability of the South Caucasus. Chavushoglu took Turkish diplomacy to the top, saying that there was a period of tension in Turkish-French relations, which is unusual for allied countries. But in March of this year, the connection between the presidents of the two countries was restored, which, according to him, will be further strengthened in the future. The mentioned quotes from the Foreign Minister's speech were presented by the ՙermenihaber՚ website.

The Western signals of the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs leave the impression of more concerns. The United States is the leader of NATO, and France is the country that has privileged relations with the Armenian people. The United States and France are obviously putting a lot of pressure on Turkey, the reason for which is Turkey's invasion of the South Caucasus after the 44-day war, the emergence of a Russian-Turkish monitoring center. The Turkish army was invaded by extremist Islamist mercenaries who enjoy Erdogan's patronage. The North Atlantic Alliance cannot accept this fact for the simple reason that such a course contradicts the strategy of the alliance. In the mentioned interview, the Turkish President tried to dispel his guilt, saying that Azerbaijan had solved its own problem, thus making the frivolity of his words more obvious. It is a fact that the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the White House has narrowed the Turkish leadership, to put it mildly. Bringing this issue to the agenda, the West showed a yellow card to Erdogan, warning of the willingness of NATO allies and possible actions. As for Chavushoglu's statements, they are just nonsense, nothing more. Turkey and France can be friends and allies neither in the South Caucasus nor in other regions. Turkey and France cannot be friends and allies in the South Caucasus.

At the same time, the West continues the political dialogue with Russia as much as possible. On June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversationwith the President of the European Council Charles Michel, during which the Karabakh issue was discussed. This was reported by RIA Novosti, limking to the Kremlin press service. The unblocking of economic and transport ties in the region and the solution of humanitarian problems are considered priority issues. According to the source, Michelle used the works that which are implemented through the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a telephone conversation with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. The idea was emphasized that there is no alternative to the Minsk agreements; therefore, all parties need to fulfill their obligations. The above-mentioned public statements seem to paint a picture in which the West and Russia are trying to move forward on the balance of interests, and Turkey, an ally of the West, is in a corner.