An agreement on diplomatic property between Azerbaijan and Russia which will be signed in Moscow on Thursday, will be a good debut for further development of the legal framework between the two countries in 2012, Russian trade representative in the AR Yuri Shchedrin said.

"It is a very serious agreement, involving the transfer of property where the diplomatic mission of Russia and Azerbaijan is located and I believe that it is the first, but not the last agreement which will be signed during the year between the two countries" Mr Shchedrin said.

The agreement will be signed during the visit of Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov to Moscow.

Dominant influence of one of the superpowers or an alliance of states is needed to restore peace and stability in South Caucasus, Member of he Russian State Duma Sergei Markov said today. He stressed perspective of Russia and Turkey's alliance.

"If to leave the region to itself it will lead to destabilization of the situation and global long-term confrontations," Markov said.

According to Markov, the regions themselves are interested in the appearance of one global geopolitical power. For the time being, it is not clear who will be this power in the South Caucasus.

Markov believes that Russia is too weak, the EU has too many internal problems, and the U.S. is bogged down in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"In my opinion, Turkey and Russia's alliance will have influence on the region, which is now greatly developing," Markov said. "This alliance will not include Iran, as its scope of interests mainly focuses on the Middle East."

Of course, time will show how effective the Russian-Turkish alliance will be in the restoration of stability in the Caucasus.

The strategic partnership between Russia and Azerbaijan is a guarantee of stability in such difficult and important region for the international community as the Caucasus, Sergey Vinokurov, the head of the Russian Presidential Administration's Department for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, told media in Baku on Thursday.

He said that Russian-Azerbaijani relations are multi-faceted. Much depends on these relations in the Caucasus region. They are based on historical roots and the proximity of the two countries.

Vinokurov is taking part in a round-table meeting on the "Role of Parliament in the development of civil society", organized by the Institute for Eurasian Studies.

"These are real relations of strategic partnership. As two interdependent countries, we are now in a good sense of the word. This interdependence emphasizes a strategic, partnership nature of our relations," Vinokurov said.

He said that it is necessary to intensify cooperation in the non-dynamic areas.

"The two Presidents set a task that the turnover should exceed $2 billion. We should strive for this as there are reserves in the trade and economic cooperation. These reserves should be used," he said.

He noted that Russian business flourishes in Azerbaijan by creating many new jobs.