Thursday, October 22 2020 19:00

ArmInfo. Negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict should begin as soon as possible. Former co-chairman of the US Minsk Group James Warlick (USA) told the  BBC.

According to him, further escalation of the conflict is quite  possible. High-level negotiations need to start as soon as possible  in order to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Otherwise,  it will not only continue, but will expand. The parties have already  agreed on an armistice twice. The first was agreed by Russian Foreign  Minister Sergei Lavrov, and the second by French President Emmanuel  Macron.

Speaking about Ankara's role in the conflict, he recalled that Turkey  is a member of the Minsk Group, but not a co-chair. "I think that  both Turkey and other countries should make every effort to ensure  that the conflict is resolved through peaceful negotiations. Turkey  has its own interests in this conflict for a long time. First, it is  a member of the Minsk Group. Secondly, it is a close friend and ally  of Azerbaijan, and this close connection is now even more evident.  And if Turkey somehow takes part in the military component of the  conflict, it will be very dangerous and can provoke an even greater  escalation. But Turkey can play a very positive role if it manages to  take advantage of its special relationship with Azerbaijan and bring  it to the negotiating table. If Azerbaijan wants to achieve its goal  and return the disputed territories under its control, then it must  realize that this can only be resolved through negotiations, not a  war of attrition.  Armenia has its own goals as regards the status of  Nagorno-Karabakh, but they can be achieved only through negotiations.  I believe that all the countries of the Minsk Group should make every  effort to resolve the conflict peacefully and end hostilities.  Because this war cannot be won on the battlefields, but it can be  stopped at the negotiating table, "the former co-chairman emphasized.

In his words, the parties to the conflict, Armenia and Azerbaijan,  must realize that it can only be resolved through negotiations. And  only after that the co-negotiating countries can play their role,  that is, bring them to the negotiating table. "And I'm not talking  about a simple conversation between the President of Azerbaijan and  the Prime Minister of Armenia, but about full-fledged negotiations.  This will be a long process, because a lot of questions remain  unresolved, but it has to start. And for this, both parties must show  their readiness for negotiations and a serious attitude towards them,  "Warlick said.

He stated that negotiations can be successful only if both sides  agree on some basic principles, which should include the withdrawal  of troops from the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, and its  status.  Because there are other questions: what to do with the  refugees, what will be the role of the peacekeepers, what will be the  relations of Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh. All these issues have  been known for a long time, and Armenia and Azerbaijan should at  least use them to start negotiations