CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 130

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA
to the other two categories. Nonetheless, the intensity mean of the cate-
gory of direct contacts between the opposing sides (1.75) indicates that
Boris Yeltsin did not give much importance to the organization of mu-
tual talks between the confl icting parties of the NK confl ict. In addition,
the high-intensity mean (3.25) of the balanced relations with Armenia
and Azerbaijan category supports the previous argument by illustrating
that Yeltsin was prone to military cooperation with both of the confl icting
countries by not supporting the victory of any side.
Furthermore, the content analysis of Vladimir Putin’s presidential
statements demonstrates that compared to Boris Yeltsin, he gave impor-
tance to the category of direct contacts between the opposing sides (4.25)
by stressing the signifi cance of the establishment of an environment of
trust between the confl icting sides. In addition, Putin was also interested
in the category of regional stability (4) by encouraging long-term solu-
tions and durable settlement for the confl ict. Hence, it can be deduced
that compared to Yeltsin, Putin was more engaged in resolving the NK
confl ict by arranging trilateral talks and making the sides agree upon sim-
ilar viewpoints. Nonetheless, the category of balanced relations with Ar-
menia and Azerbaijan (4.75) signifi es that among the existing categories
Putin prioritized the military cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan
and did not want to see ‘losers’ and ‘winners’ in the NK confl ict. Finally,
when referring to the content analysis of Dmitry Medvedev’s presidential
statements, the point worth mentioning is that when compared to Boris
Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, he did not give much importance to the cate-
gory of balanced relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan (2.5). What is
more, he prioritized the category of direct contacts between the opposing
sides (4.75) by stressing the signifi cance of international arrangements
and mutual talks between the confl icting parties. In addition, inasmuch as
during his short presidency he initiated more than 10 meetings and came
up with innovative approaches towards the confl ict resolution, he was
able to push the NK confl ict on the edge of its resolution.
Hence, content analysis revealed that the NK confl ict had real chanc-
es to escape from its frozen status and ensure stability and peace within
the region. Even though, Russian cooperation with Armenia and Azer-
baijan was also important for Medvedev, compared to Yeltsin and Putin,
he made signifi cant eff ort to escape the existing emotional statements of
the parties by bringing the sides together and by approaching towards the
confl ict resolution.
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