Karabakh conflict 'not close to final settlement for now' – diplomat hails continuing status quo
No visible progress is being sketched in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) peace process to make a final settlement of the long-lasting conflict realistic in the nearest future, Ambassador Arman Navasardyan said today, appreciating the continuing status-quo as the ″most important moment″ in the current state of affairs.
Commenting on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's recent visit to Yerevan, the diplomat also praised his policy stance on the issue as a representative of a state acting as an international mediator in the peace talks.
″I consider Lavrov's visit very important indeed, and I am confident he guides the Russian foreign policy on a high level - as a personality enjoying a high reputation,″ he told reporters.
Agreeing that the Russian official reacted very vehemently to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's recently voiced remark (‟Artsakh is Armenia - period”), the diplomat meantime appreciated his recent statement ruling out a peace deal ‟without the Artsakh population's consent″.
″The Russian-Armenian relations are on a normal track - presupposing a development scenario. Though the United States would not like the Russian influence to strengthen, there aren’t actually contradictions between the US and Russia when it comes to Artsakh. That's apparently the only point on which they do not have any discords, as both states desire a peaceful settlement - considering also their political interests. I do not think the Karabakh issue is close to a settlement, and I do not expect the negotiation process to resume any time in the near future; yet the most important moment now is the maintenance of the status quo, which is to Armenia's advantage,″ he added.
Navasardyan, who now heads the Chair of World Politics and International Relations at the Russian-Armenian University, attached priority also to the developing Russia-Turkey and US-Turkey relations. ″In this entire hustle and bustle, the principles behind the pan-Turkish policies are again coming to light,″ he said, citing the Turkic speaking countries' recent summit in Baku (attended also by top Uzbek officials).
Navasardyan said he is under the impression that Russia is now trying to keep the pan-Turkish policies within the realm of its own control. ″Russia is attempting to gain control over the movement, which is practically against the Russian interests. What matters to me in this entire chain of events is the Azerbaijani policies, as they are trying to deliver a blow to Armenia and the Armenian interests, hiding behind that veil.″
As a safeguard against a possible Turkish aggression, the diplomat stressed the urgent need of maintaining the strategic relations with Russia. ″We must develop the relations with the United States to the best of our efforts; yet, the repeatedly voiced opinions calling for our withdrawal from the CSTO to join the North-Atlantic Alliance pose real hazards indeed,″ he warned.