ArmInfo.The possibility of negotiations under the auspices of Russia and the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh have reappeared on the agenda today. However, it is doubtful whether the leaders of the parties will be willing to expand the role of Russia.
It can be assumed that the leadership of Karabakh will treat this scenario favorably. The famous Israeli political scientist and public figure Avigdor Eskin expressed this opinion in an interview with ArmInfo correspondent.
According to him, this assumption is supported by the active participation in the defense of former commanders who participated in battles in the nineties and then went into politics, but did not lose their military skills. These people have already discussed more than once the possibility of expanding the Russian presence with the possibility of maintaining an independent status. The attitude of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to such development is ambiguous. If not himself, then many in his entourage would like to see Armenia more independent from Russia, and Karabakh (within certain borders) a part of Armenia, and not an independent republic.
Nevertheless, these days the head of the Armenian government is constantly in touch with Moscow and twice talked with President Putin. At the same time, President Ilham Aliyev refrains from direct talks with the Russian President and is clearly oriented more towards Turkey and its President Erdogan. And this happens despite many years of good personal relations between Aliyev and Putin.
According to Eskin, in such a complex situation, it is important to clarify how serious Ankara's plans are in intensified promotion of raising its status as a participant in negotiations between the belligerent parties. Erdogan's possible aspiration to obtain equal status with Moscow can hardly be acceptable for Armenia with Karabakh and for Russia. However, military actions have their own dynamics, and the stalemate, as seen today, may lead to the activation of the Russian factor in the settlement. This comes against the backdrop of the French ceasefire initiative. However, French leader Macron has little experience in Transcaucasian affairs. And geographical remoteness does not contribute to the possibility of its success. To this we can add Baku's skepticism to his candidacy due to the warm ties with the Armenian Diaspora.
To recall, the day before, the international press started talking about the possibility of bringing Russian peacekeepers into Karabakh after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with Al Jazeera TV that the issue of bringing Russian peacekeepers into Nagorno Karabakh could be discussed within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. Answering a journalist's question whether he would like to see Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinyan said in particular: "Look, such issues can be discussed in a broader context within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group." At the same time, the press secretary of Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov told RBC that Russia can send its peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh only with the consent of Azerbaijan and Armenia. "Peacekeepers can enter only with the consent of both sides," said Peskov. In turn, Kazbek Taisayev, deputy chairman of the State Duma committee for CIS affairs, told RIA Novosti that the issue of the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh is ripe, there is no doubt that it will be comprehensively studied. The deputy recalled that within the framework of the CSTO, the Russian Federation and Armenia have absolutely clear obligations to each other.