MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Putin holds talks with the Azerbaijani president in Baku; the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Chicago; and India seeks to help resolve the Ukrainian conflict. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Media: Putin holds talks with Azerbaijani president in Baku

Moscow and Baku agreed to continue boosting bilateral relations during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the South Caucasus nation. The parties also highlighted the importance of cooperation in establishing the International North-South Transport Corridor, Vedomosti writes.

The talks centered around energy, trade and economic cooperation, Andrey Areshev, an expert on the Caucasus and Central Asia, noted. According to him, Moscow and Baku have been talking for a long time about bringing Russian energy back to European markets by way of re-export from Azerbaijan. "So it’s no wonder that the parties signed an agreement to work together in the investment sphere, while the Russian president mentioned plans for joint production of tankers, which will apparently be aimed at European Union markets," the expert said.

Political scientist Artur Atayev pointed out that as part of deepening cooperation with Moscow, Baku would probably enhance participation in Eurasian economic initiatives, particularly within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS group.

The two heads of state also touched upon regional security issues and efforts to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Putin stated during talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that Russia was ready to facilitate the signing of a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan, adding that he would touch base with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after the Baku visit.

For Russia, the trip is crucial amid deteriorating relations with Armenia, said experts interviewed by Izvestia. Moscow is now seeking to preserve its influence in the South Caucasus by strengthening ties with Baku. After being defeated by Azerbaijan, Armenia has started drifting towards the EU and the US. "Today, the West covets the idea of prying Armenia away from Russia and turning it into a second Georgia," Konstantin Blokhin, leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Center for Security Studies, said. According to him, Russia is keen on easing potential tensions.

 

Izvestia: Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago

The Democratic National Convention has officially begun in Chicago. At the event, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will formally be approved as the party’s candidates for president and vice president in the November election. Harris is currently ahead of ex-President and Republican nominee Donald Trump in most opinion polls. And the so-called Deep State will have her back in the election, said experts interviewed by Izvestia.

"The Deep State has a very strong lobby. We are talking about big money here. The Pentagon alone receives almost one trillion dollars every year. They are interested in expanding NATO and continuing the arms race so that orders keep coming in for various weapons," American historian and former Harvard University professor Vladimir Brovkin pointed out. According to him, "these powers that be don’t want any reconciliation." "They are poised to benefit from the ongoing fighting in Ukraine, more sanctions, Russia’s isolation from global markets and pressure on China and India. With this in mind, a major foreign policy reversal looks unlikely," Brovkin stressed.

Experts also point to the overhyped Harris-related coverage by mainstream news outlets and social media. "Harris is being hyped up in the media. Clearly, all opinion polls are politically motivated due to the existing divisions. No one used to take her seriously, even the Democratic Party. Until recently, no one wanted to nominate her. Harris was chosen out of desperation. The fact that the Democrats dominate the media, especially social media, is playing into their hands. Efforts will now definitely be made to tout her, painting her as the new leader," Konstantin Blokhin, leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Center for Security Studies, said.

The upcoming Harris-Trump debate will be pivotal, giving voters the opportunity to see the two in action, experts point out. "Trump previously defeated a far stronger opponent, Hillary Clinton. She was a bigger fish than Biden and Harris combined. A Trump win in the debate could put an end to all the media hoopla around the current vice president," Blokhin noted.

 

Media: India reinforces call for peaceful resolution of Ukraine conflict as PM Modi heads to Kiev

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kiev for the first time since the start of Moscow’s special military operation and six weeks after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. India calls on Russia and Ukraine to resolve the conflict through dialogue. Experts are quick to point out that Modi’s trip in no way signals that New Delhi is turning away from Moscow, however, Nezavisimaya Gazeta notes.

India believes that it’s impossible to find a solution to the Ukraine issue on the battlefield, that diplomatic efforts and dialogue are the only way to go. India’s deputy foreign minister said on Monday that New Delhi was ready to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, India maintains contact with all the interested parties in the conflict. Earlier, Modi met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

Tatyana Shaumyan, head of the Center for Indian Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, points out that "India is an independent country." "It seeks to diversify its foreign policy. Modi’s visit to Kiev is a clear reflection of this policy. And it is by no means an anti-Russian move. India has a border dispute with China in the Himalayas and an unresolved dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir. However, it cannot rely on Russia alone, which is why it will also maintain strong ties with the US and other Western countries," the expert explained.

The current visit has little chance of improving the situation in Ukraine beyond symbolic declarations, Gleb Makarevich, junior researcher with the Center of the Indo-Pacific Region at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy, told Vedomosti. India’s rhetoric on the conflict in Ukraine has remained unchanged since February 2022, the expert noted, adding that New Delhi stood for talks and a ceasefire. "Modi's strategy is to support all that is good and come out against what's bad. He would like to once again demonstrate his balanced position to the international public," Makarevich said. Furthermore, he believes that New Delhi has no peace plan in the works. "India simply wants military activities to end. It’s not prepared to act as a mediator because risks outweigh potential benefits," the expert concluded.

 

Izvestia: Efforts continue to facilitate deal between Israel, Hamas

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a visit to the Middle East to meet with the Israeli leadership and take part in the final stage of the Cairo talks on a deal between the Jewish state and the Palestinian movement Hamas. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has for the first time publicly endorsed Washington’s proposal for resolving the conflict. However, experts say that there won’t be a deal or a long-term ceasefire because of a general lack of clarity about the positions of the two sides, Izvestia writes.

Blinken said at a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog that the current negotiations were perhaps the last opportunity to release the hostages held by Hamas and ensure a ceasefire. But this rhetoric could just be a ploy, exaggerating the situation so as to expedite a deal. The US is highly motivated to resolve the conflict before the November presidential election, because failing to stabilize the situation in the Middle East would only create new problems for the Democrats, benefiting the Republicans. Blinken’s tour of the Middle East includes a stop in Cairo, where the final stage of talks aimed at closing the remaining gaps are expected to take place on August 21 or 22.

The negotiations are proving to be challenging. "Although the Americans claim there is some progress, I don’t think the parties are ready for a long-term truce. So, there are two options: either the talks will fail right away or the parties will achieve a kind of short-term ceasefire, which will very quickly be followed by another cycle of violence. Blinken’s trip is a sign that they are bringing out the big guns," Middle East expert Yelena Suponina said.

"I believe there will neither be a deal nor a ceasefire, and all this is rather a political tug-of-war. The positions of the parties aren't very clear because they haven’t clarified them in any way," Middle East expert Alexander Kargin pointed out. "In particular, it’s unclear how the US position aligns with that of Hamas, while it’s impossible not to take the other party’s stance into account within a negotiation process. As for Israel’s position, it is trying to drag things out until the US election and then work with the new administration," the analyst added.

 

Media: Russia to offer temporary residence to supporters of traditional values

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on humanitarian assistance to foreign nationals "sharing traditional Russian spiritual and moral values." Starting on September 1, they will be eligible to apply for temporary residence in Russia outside government-approved quotas and without proving their knowledge of the Russian language and Russian history, Vedomosti writes.

In November 2022, Putin approved the foundations of the state policy for preserving and promoting traditional Russian values. They include life, dignity, human rights and freedoms, patriotism, a strong family, innovation, humanitarianism, compassion, justice, mutual assistance, mutual respect, historical memory and the unity of the peoples of Russia.

The right to move to Russia will be provided to the citizens of countries whose governments impose "destructive neoliberal ideals" on people. The Russian government is expected to draw up a list of such countries.

Some people in countries unfriendly to Russia are essentially being persecuted for believing in traditional spiritual and moral values, Alexander Asafov, the Russian Civic Chamber’s first deputy chairman for the public examination of bills, noted. He emphasized that traditional values are not exclusive to Russia as they are shared by the followers of all traditional religions.

Political scientist Alexander Nemtsev agrees that the mechanism established in the decree will be in demand. "The list will likely include Western countries, particularly European Union nations. This is where governments promote the rights of the LGBT community (the movement is designated as extremist and outlawed in Russia) and same sex marriage, while oppressing traditional values," the expert added.

"It is widely believed that few people will be willing to resettle. However, over the past years, about 10,000 people from the Baltic countries and Germany have moved to the Kaliningrad Region," Valery Fadeyev, head of the Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights, told Kommersant. "The inflow is most likely to increase and as far as I understand, this is the reason why the president signed the decree," he said.

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