ArmInfo.Preparing Edward Nalbandyan for concessions on the eve of talks with his Baku counterpart to resolve the conflict without taking Stepanakert's positions into account would mean considerable internal political risks. Moreover, not only for him personally, but for the entire power elite of Armenia. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo Russian analyst Sergei Markedonov.
On September 18, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian at the Armenia-Diaspora forum designated territorial territories as possible territorial concessions to the Armenian side, "in the transfer of which there will not be a threat to the security of Artsakh and will not endanger the final settlement of the conflict." The next day, his deputy Shavarsh Kocharian expressed bewilderment at the rumors and assumptions about the "surrender of land", giving a brief reference on the negotiation process and the content of the updated Madrid principles.
"The story of the resignation that favored the compromise with the first president of the republic Levon Ter-Petrosyan from Baku in February 1998 is a vivid confirmation." In this connection, the version according to which Yerevan decided on such a desperate step as unilateral concessions of Baku does not seem too convincing. Especially in the run-up to 2018, when the issue of ensuring political continuity is crucial for the current government, "he said. Recalling that after the constitutional amendments Armenia becomes a parliamentary republic, Markedonov noted that for the well-known for his love for chess Serzh Sargsyan it is extremely important to take care of the correct arrangement of the figures on the Armenian political board. In this context, any concessions on Karabakh, according to his forecasts, will significantly weaken the offensive potential of the current president of Armenia.
"It's unlikely that such an experienced player as Sargsyan will agree to turn the board for more than a dubious result.In front of him he has not only the fate of Ter-Petrosyan - the president, but Ter-Petrosyan - an oppositionist who tried to play a compromise card with Baku during the last parliamentary elections and the defeated. "The four-day war" radicalized the Armenian society and so putting the president's team in an ever-justifying position, "the analyst concluded.