Karabakh peace mediators interested in maintaining negotiation format – analyst

By organizing high-level meetings between the Armenian and Azerbaijani officials, the OSCE Minsk Group is trying, virtually, to affirm its interest in maintaining the negotiation format, according to Alexander Iskandaryan, a Yerevan-based political analyst.

“What they want is to keep the negotiation process going, because that is really necessary,” he said at a news conference, commenting on the recently held talks between Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov.

Meantime the expert admitted at that reaching a breakthrough is unpredictable in the short-term perspective.

Asked why the co-chairs did not address Azerbaijan’s failure to respect the Vienna and St Petersburg arrangements (in their statement issued after the meeting), and whether such a stance could really suggest the country realized its goal in essence, Iskandaryan replied, “It has been the general practice for long. Now, certainly, it isn’t absolutely easy with Azerbaijan.”

The expert further dismissed the positive expectations that the country will opt for a pro-Armenian settlement under increasing pressures by the international community (which is angered by the growing corruption and the democracy-related problems in Azerbaijan).

“It is now difficult to persuade Azerbaijan into doing something. The fact remains that the meetings are only aimed at arranging meetings to keep the Minsk Group format working,” he added.