CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 124

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA
NK mediation process, in contrast to Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin did not
link the Russian mediation mission in NK to the creation of a powerful
Russian state. Diff erently, he mostly relied on Russian energy resources
by using them as tools to conduct Russian foreign policy. Consequent-
ly, during the fi rst term of his presidency, Vladimir Putin displayed little
interest in the NK confl ict and centralized his eff orts to make Russia a
self-confi dent and strong state. 45
Following it further, the Prague Process resulted in the creation of
“Madrid Principles” that were presented by the Minsk Group co-chairs in
Madrid, in 2007. The document included basic principles for the peace-
ful resolution of the NK confl ict. Even though Armenia and Azerbaijan
agreed on several principles, the countries did not come up with a com-
mon decision concerning the NK status. 46
To conclude, it is worth mentioning that when comparing the presi-
dency of Boris Yeltsin with Vladimir Putin’s fi rst administration, the ma-
jor diff erence concerns the functioning of the Russian internal state af-
fairs. As such, due to Vladimir Putin, the foreign policy of Russia towards
the region of South Caucasus became coherent and homogeneous without
the inner divisions between the Defense and Foreign Aff airs Ministries.
More to that, as a president, Putin had a clear picture of Russia’s internal
and external policies and was able to control his new centralized state ad-
ministration. 47
2.2. On the edge of resolution: Dmitry Medvedev
The NK peace process entered into a new stage during the presidency
of Dmitry Medvedev as Russia was most actively engaged in the medi-
ation of the Nagorno-Karabakh struggle during the years between 2008
and 2012. Inasmuch as the administration of the new president coincided
with the Russian war with Georgia in 2008, it was important for Medve-
dev to demonstrate to his Western counterparts that Karabakh was a dis-
tinct case and would have a peaceful resolution due to Russian mediation
eff orts. Hence, to decrease the chances of another signifi cant explosion
within the region, on November 2, 2008, Medvedev arranged a meet-
ing between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Mayendorf
Castle. The initiative resulted in the “Declaration on Regulating the Na-
gorno-Karabakh Confl ict,” the fi rst signed agreement since the May 1994
45
46
47
Richard Sakwa, “Putin’s leadership: Character and Consequences,” Europe-Asia Studies-
vol.60, issue No. 6 (August 2008): 882.
Romashov and Rytövuori-Apunen, “Nagorno-Karabakh: Steps of Settlement Market Out by
Russia’s Interests,” 148.
Sakwa, “Putin’s leadership: Character and Consequences,” 881.
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