Monday, December 21 2020 13:20

ArmInfo. The issue of Artsakh's status remains the only issue on the negotiating agenda. However, there are still fundamental disagreements on this issue. A  similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by Alexander Skakov, Deputy  Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy  of Sciences.

"Initially, there were no doubts about the ability of the OSCE Minsk  Group to resolve this conflict.  Moreover, there were no expectations  about its effectiveness in a crisis moment. The war, its results  confirmed what we have been talking about for years, that is the   Minsk mechanism has no real levers for significant impact on the  situation ", he noted.

In this light, the Russian expert sees the need for readiness to work  on Artsakh, towards achieving a final settlement of the conflict  without the OSCE Minsk Group, absed on the fact that the prospects  related to the level of readiness of the Minsk Group are uncertain.  According to him, the 44-day war was the final blow to the image and  role of the Minsk Group.

According to Skakov, this is due to uncertain prospects related to  the degree of readiness of the Minsk Group.

In this light, he highlighted the process of forming new formats of  regulation in the region. According to Skakov, their volume,  usefulness, ability to work and efficiency only time will tell.  Meanwhile, more pressing post-war issues and problems are being  addressed today.  "Moscow in no way renounces the Minsk Group.  Nevertheless, this group does not actually exist today.  The last  visit of the co-chairs to Armenia and Azerbaijan demonstrated the  complete absence of an agenda.  The mediators themselves have become  unwanted guests in the region today. Nevertheless, Russia today  believes that that the mediators still have something to work on. It  is necessary to help the parties overcome the consequences of the  war, "he stressed.  Noting the existence of disagreements and  discontent with Moscow in the Minsk Group, Skakov recalled that the  United States and France had decades at their disposal to achieve a  fruitful and effective settlement.  Meanwhile, what they are going to  do in detail now, in his opinion, is unknown. In this light, in his  opinion, time is needed to realize and understand the new, post-war  realities, especially the formation of a new agenda.  Since 1992, the  OSCE Minsk Group, represented by the co-chairs from Russia, the  United States and France, has been involved in the settlement of the  Karabakh conflict. At present, the settlement process is nominally  proceeding on the basis of the "Madrid Principles", nominated by the  OSCE Minsk Group co- chairs in 2007 in Madrid and updated in 2009,  which, among other things, provide for the deployment of a  peacekeeping contingent in the conflict zone. The OSCE Minsk Group  also includes Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Turkey, as  well as Armenia and Azerbaijan.