The shock stemmed from both the content of Karasin’s announcement about Russia’s intention to open a consulate general in Khankendi and the manner in which it was presented.
“Among our bilateral issues, I would highlight the opening of a consulate general in Khankendi. We plan to start preparatory work for this soon and count on your support,” stated Karasin during the meeting. This clearly indicates that the Russian side has long been set on opening its consulate general on Azerbaijani territory, and only needs to finalize some organizational details with the host country. Considering this is the territory of the sovereign state of Azerbaijan, such a directive seems reminiscent of Soviet-era commands from Moscow rather than a request to establish an official diplomatic mission.
When discussing diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, it’s logical and necessary to refer to international law governing consulate establishments. This is clearly defined in the international treaty adopted in Vienna on April 24, 1963, and effective from March 19, 1967. Officially named the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Article 2, Section 1, explicitly states that “the establishment of consular relations between states takes place by mutual consent.” However, Karasin’s words imply that preparations for opening any official Russian diplomatic mission on Azerbaijani soil are already underway, even before permission is granted by the host country, and now Baku is merely expected to assist in the process.
Setting aside the phrasing and structure of the announcement about opening the Russian Consulate General in Khankendi, this information raises several other questions. Firstly, why is Russia eager to open such a mission specifically in Khankendi and not in another city like Ganja or Nakhchivan? Azerbaijan has many excellent cities where this could be done, such as Sumgayit or Shirvan. By following this logic, similar consulates could function in Lankaran or Shabran as well. Moreover, a “touristic” approach could be considered by examining the travel routes preferred by Russian visitors in Azerbaijan, establishing consulates along their paths. Russians certainly do not visit Karabakh, as its tourist infrastructure is just starting to develop. So why is Russia so interested in Khankendi?
Perhaps Section “a” of Article 5 of the same 1963 UN Convention can help answer this question. It states that “the functions of a consular post include protecting in the receiving State the interests of the sending State and of its nationals, both individuals and bodies corporate, within the limits permitted by international law.” This leads to another question: whose interests does the Russian Consulate General in Khankendi intend to protect? Are there any Russian citizens there? If the intention is to protect the Armenians of Karabakh who wish to return (with Russia’s help), even then, they would not have any relation to Russia since their stay in Azerbaijan would only be possible within the framework of national legislation. Currently, only Azerbaijani citizens live there, with no Russians among them.
An interesting aspect of Karasin’s statement is Section “d” of Article 5 of the Vienna Convention, which states that consular functions also include “issuing passports and travel documents to nationals of the sending State and visas or appropriate documents to persons wishing to travel to the sending State.” The key word here is “passports.” Thus, any country’s consulate general can issue passports of the represented state upon request. This raises the concerning possibility that, having lost influence in Azerbaijan via the Karabakh issue, Russia might attempt a strategic move by opening a consulate general in Khankendi, lobbying for the return of Armenians who left Karabakh for Armenia, and issuing them Russian passports through the consulate. This could shift the Karabakh issue to a new dimension where international bodies like the OSCE Minsk Group might start addressing the protection of Armenians who hold Russian citizenship rather than former separatists with Armenian citizenship.
However, this is an implausible and contrived scenario that could damage the balanced diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia. Therefore, certain forces in Russia should abandon such ideas. To avoid such thoughts, it would be appropriate to suggest the Russian side open a consulate general in any other picturesque part of our country. In any case, there is no need for it as the Russian Embassy already operates in Azerbaijan.
Rauf Nasirov
Translated from Minval.az
