Thursday, December 28 2023 15:24

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan is now  waiting for Armenia's response to its comments on the latest draft  proposals (7th in a row). Elchin Amirbayov, the special ambassador to  the Azerbaijani president told The Guardian.

"What is important to understand is that at this crucial stage in  negotiations, where apparently we're not that much far away from the  final agreement, [is that] we do need a result-oriented exercise," he  said. "I know that that after three decades of negotiations and  without no major result, there is a certain kind of fatigue and also  frustration in both parties for how long we will continue just to see  to meet each other without any reasonable results," Amirbayov said.

"Nagorno-Karabakh has been internationally recognised as Azerbaijani  territory, but efforts to end the conflict have been complicated by  Turkey, Russia, Iran, US and the EU all jostling for diplomatic  influence in a strategically critical area.  Russia has a significant  military presence in Armenia. The area is of geostrategic importance  due to the proposed "middle corridor", the transport corridor that  would link China to Europe through central Asia, the Caspian Sea and  the south Caucasus," the source noted.

Amirbayov said the five principles in the draft agreement are "mutual  respect for each other's territorial integrity, sovereignty and  inviolability of international recognised borders, rejection of any  territorial claims to each other, now and in the future, rejection of  any acts that would run counter to UN charter, like the use of force  or threat of use of force, but also delimitation of the border  between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has never been done. And, last  but not least, opening of communication routes and ties between  Armenia and Azerbaijan, because we've been without any connection  because of the conflict for 30 years", they added.

" In practice the issue of the border demarcation might be settled at  a later stage since the negotiations are deemed so complex.   Azerbaijan also wants some kind of dispute mechanism for the  agreement. "Our preference would be to have peace agreements. An  article which would speak about some kind of bilateral commission,  which needs to be set up in order to address all those  misunderstandings or differences in interpretations between us."

One of the unresolved issues is the link between the main part of  Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhichevan. As part of a ceasefire  agreement signed in November 2020 following a previous flare-up  between the two countries, Pashinyan agreed to open a land  transportation link through Armenian territory probably along an old  Soviet rail track between the main part of Azerbaijan and  Nakhichevan.

"The linkage between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan between two parts of  Azerbaijan is crucial for us, in terms of national security, but also  in terms of ensuring alternative route for the middle corridor,"  Amirbayov said. "We cannot waste any more time. After three years  Armenia has not even started a feasibility study for the 42km leg.

"Of course, we cannot force Armenia to implement what they had  committed to, and it is nonsensical to suggest we would invade to  impose this corridor through force or such like. So we have reached  out to Iran as a plan B to build a link by road and rail through  Iran", he said.

He said if it is possible the existence of the alternative route  might make Armenia to realise how much they may lose by continuing to  resist the link going through its land, The Guardian reports.