ArmInfo.The statements made on October 2 on the sidelines of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Artsakh are most likely cause by the presence of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the event. Head of the International Center for Human Development Tevan Poghosyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
On October 2, the Russian Foreign Minister said in Sochi, "that the parties are making serious statements that do not help create an atmosphere of the political process." "There were even such calls that Karabakh is part of Armenia. Of course, this does not help the process. But we and the other co-chairs work in unison, here, thank God, this is probably one of the few situations where we have a common vision, we have basic documents - we don't want to revise them, we want to look for a solution based on these basic principles, which have been discussed many times, but we need to find a solution through a direct dialogue, of course, "Lavrov said.
"The fact of the presence of the President of Azerbaijan could well prompt Russian diplomat Lavrov to make this, let's say, an unbalanced statement in order to stimulate negotiations in Sochi in the interests of Russia. At the same time, he tried to speak from a mediator's position about the disturbing events around Artsakh. However, as a co-chair, equidistant from the parties of the conflict, the Russian minister should from time to time comment also on Ilham Aliyev's intentions to conquer Yerevan reinforced by militaristic statements of Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, " the analyst said.
In any case, the expert believes that taking such a statement by the Russian minister so seriously, given the place and the conditions in which it was made, was the most incorrect approach by Armenia. According to Poghosyan, the Russian minister is well aware that the militaristic statements of Hasanov and Aliyev significantly harm the negotiations. In this light, he sees the need for a more balanced position of the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the representative of the mediating country of the OSCE Minsk Group.
"We must clearly understand that the Artsakh problem will not be solved by statements made by the co- chairing countries. These statements were, are and will be of a completely different nature. We need to strengthen the country, strengthen statehood, form powerful Artsakh. If we can stimulate and develop science , the army, the military industry, the problem will be solved in our favor. The solution to Artsakh is not in the statements, but in our determination, readiness to protect national interests at all costs. We have a long way to go in this direction, "the expert summed up. On October 3, Spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Anna Naghdalyan emphasized the importance of avoiding selective and one-sided assessments by the co-chairing countries. She also characterized Baku's allegations that the issue should be resolved "exclusively within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan" as not contributing to the formation of an appropriate atmosphere for advancing the peace process.