ArmInfo.The maximum expectations of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group from the intensification of the negotiation process on the Karabakh settlement, observed in the wake of the curtain of 2017, is the return of meaningfulness to the negotiation process. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo Russian analyst Sergei Markedonov.
In October, the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Geneva, after which the Minsk Group co- chairs met with the Armenian and Azeri FMs in Moscow.
"However, despite the" constructive atmosphere "of the Geneva summit, there were no notable breakthroughs in the settlement, and there were no plans to introduce effective mechanisms to prevent incidents on the contact line and the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border outside Nagorno-Karabakh. words of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on the "painful resolution of the Artsakh issue" and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on possible compromises in the Karabakh settlement "he stressed.
According to the analyst, the answer to the question about the motivation of official Yerevan in the scoring, provoking discontent with the authorities and unnecessary agiotage around the possible "surrender of territories", the statements are not so complicated, as it seems at first glance. In this light, Markedonov notes that Sargsyan and Nalbandian have listeners and readers not only in Yerevan, but also in Baku, as well as in the capitals of the countries co-chairing the Minsk Group.
Meanwhile, the analyst emphasizes that the agreed plan for a peaceful settlement, which is almost a unique case of unanimity between Russia and the West in the post-Soviet space, remains, presupposing compromises and concessions, "updated Madrid principles>. According to him, the "principles" can and do be criticized for, but they do not have the slightest hint of maintaining the current status quo unchanged. Another issue is that the destruction of the status quo is dangerous, and there is no consensus between the co-chairs about how and why.
"At the same time, there are no maximalist slats in the" basic principles " Yerevan, or Baku. Therefore, Armenian politicians can compete with each other in the degree of brutality for the internal audience, but in dialogue with the co-chairs they must show readiness for compromises. And in fact, speaking of possible concessions, Sargsyan and Nalbandian practically did not take any chances, considering that Baku is clearly unable to immediately grasp their proposals, "the analyst summed up.