The denunciation of the 1921 Treaty of Moscow cannot adversely affect relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russian lawmaker, deputy chairman of the Russian Communist Party’s Central Committee Valery Rashkin told APA.

Members of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) Valery Rashkin and Sergei Obukhov (Communist Party faction) had sent a letter to the country’s leadership and the Foreign Ministry proposing to denounce the Moscow Treaty of Friendship and Brotherhood signed on 16 March 1921, by the government of Soviet Russia (RSFSR) and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

The denunciation of the Moscow Treaty cannot have an adverse impact on relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, said the lawmaker.

Rashkin said Russia and Azerbaijan enjoy friendly, fraternal and good neighboring relations that have deep historical roots. “The political leaderships of both countries are doing a lot to preserve these relations. Therefore, it is out of question that such a step can harm Azerbaijan,” he emphasized.

He noted that the proposal for the denunciation of the Moscow Treaty was made in order to force Turkey to the negotiating table with Russia.

“We won’t allow a third country, particularly Azerbaijan to suffer from the consequences of the denunciation of the Moscow Treaty. This is impossible. I think if the treaty is denounced, then of course, all demands of Azerbaijan will be met based on mutually beneficial terms,” Rashkin said.

He went on to add that it is necessary to consider all proposals made by members of the State Duma. “These proposals should at least be discussed at the level of political leadership.”

The lawmaker said a decision on the treaty denunciation can only be taken after consultations with all interested parties. “No decision can be made without relevant consultations. There is also a need to conduct consultations with the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan,” he stressed.

To the question “What does the denunciation of the treaty promise for Russia?” Rashkin replied: “In all negotiations there have always been issues related to territorial claims that have historical roots. For this reason, the issue of territorial claims should be discussed last. T we want to convey to the Turkish authorities and President Erdogan that they made a big mistake considering Russia a “second-class state”.

The lawmaker expressed hope that discussions on the treaty will encourage Russian and Turkish authorities to sit down at the negotiating table and begin to work on eliminating the tensions in bilateral relations. “It won’t lead to a war between Russia and Turkey, on the contrary, we will begin the negotiation process,” he completed.

Note that, the Treaty of Moscow is very important for Azerbaijan. According to the terms of the treaty, Nakhchivan has the status of autonomy under the administrative jurisdiction of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Also in the contract there is a clause according to which Azerbaijan will never cede protectorate over Nakhchivan to a third state. The Treaty of Kars was signed on October 13, 1921 for the execution of the provisions of the Treaty of Moscow.

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