Azerbaijani expert: Armenia will do everything possible to disrupt Nagorno-Karabakh talks

Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers are expected to discuss de-occupation of Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar and Lachin regions on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting that started in Almaty today. Are these discussions likely to lead to some concrete decision?  

I suppose that this time Armenian side will continue to remain faithful to the strategy it chose and will do everything to disrupt the peace process. Armenia does not agree with the plan of liberation of occupied Azerbaijani territories. Realizing that the room for maneuver is rapidly shrinking, Armenians across the world are preparing plans to change the power in Armenia, so that to take a timeout and to begin negotiations from the very start.

The Armenia media quoted Armenian foreign minister as saying that the key task of upcoming talks with Azerbaijan is “to see whether Azerbaijan is ready to be committed to the latest version of the Madrid principles…”

Cynicism and hypocrisy have become an integral part of the Armenian diplomacy. Foreign minister’s statement confirms this. But at the same time, we can see how the current Armenian government loses support of its own people. Sargsyan’s team has lost control of all the fundamental institutions of the government. Karabakh segment is no exception in this series. Its burden rests on the shoulders of ordinary people. Neither populism nor flowery statements are able to solve this problem.

What are your comments on Yerevan’s statement that the UN General Assembly’s consideration of the resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict presented by Azerbaijan might have a negative impact on resolution of the conflict?  

This is another case of extremely nervous and inadequate response by Yerevan on the steps by the Azerbaijani side, which are intended to move the reconciliation process forward. Speculation regarding the UN General Assembly's pending resolution proves that Armenia is hiding its head in the sand, not knowing what this position entails. After all, the Madrid principles did not appear as a result of some random action. They are a product of a certain stage and multilateral efforts. They have been elaborated on the basis of international law. The UN General Assembly, the European Parliament, OSCE, Council of Europe, Organization of Islamic Conference and other entities have been guided by these considerations while adopting relevant resolutions in support of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

In your view, do OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries have leverage of pressure on Armenia?

On numerous occasions we have heard the Minsk Group co-chairs to announce that, first and foremost, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders should reach understanding between themselves. This approach is a cause of criticism since it exposes inability or unwillingness of major powers to clamp the party with an inadequate behavior.

Naturally, this approach raises doubts about Minsk Group’s ability and interest. This ties up Azerbaijan’s hands in a clash with its opponent.


/Day.Az/