Russian military expert: “The countries mediated in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict are at odds”

The protracted conflicts in the South Caucasus threaten the national security of Russia, head of the Russian Independent Military Forecast Center, military expert Anatoly Tsiganok said in his article, APA reports quoting polit.ru.

The expert considers that the situation can lead to the local conflicts which can involve the neighbor countries, even NATO members in the perspective.

“The situation in the process of peaceful solution to the conflicts deadlocked. The conflicted sides have opposite positions as it was earlier. The foreign players are also at odds. Armenia agrees to withdraw troops from some regions around the Nagorno Karabakh when Azerbaijan gives consent to referendum on Nagorno Karabakh status, which means de-facto recognition of the independence of Nagorno Karabakh”.

The expert considers that interests of main foreign players – Brussels, Washington and Moscow – don’t coincide. “The conflict should be solved peacefully only. They have common ideas about the issues of security and international status of the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh, provision of ground communication with Armenia, determination of final status of Nagorno Karabakh via referendum and rules of holding this referendum, determination of historic settlement in future negotiations. Regarding the discords, Moscow unofficially supports status-quo in the conflict.

The Kremlin agrees with changing of status-quo in the case that Armenian armed forces are withdrawn from five regions where Russian-led peacekeeping forces are deployed. Brussels and Washington wants to change status-quo with the withdrawal of Armenian troops from five regions around Nagorno Karabakh. Brussels and Washington propose the OSCE member countries, which have no direct interests in this region, to participate in the peacekeeping forces”.


/APA/