Expert: Statements from Yerevan and Ankara suggest the existence of  non-public processes

ArmInfo.Despite the recent talks about the presence of certain positive signals from Turkey in the Armenian vector, the statements and actions of the opposite side  leave no room for optimism. A similar opinion was expressed to  ArmInfo by former lawmaker of the National Assembly of Armenia,  expert on Azerbaijan Tatevik Hayrapetyan.

On August 25, Turkish President Erdogan, at a meeting with  ambassadors of a number of countries, announced "the creation of  conditions for long-term peace after the end of the occupation of  Nagorno-Karabakh." "If Armenia uses this chance, Ankara will take the  necessary steps." The region needs a constructive approach. And even  in the presence of disagreements, it is necessary to develop  neighborly relations on the basis of respect for territorial  integrity and sovereignty. I wish success to the new government of  Armenia, which has declared its readiness to move in this direction,  " he declared. On August 27, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  stated the following:  "We have received some positive public signals  from Turkey. We will assess these signals, we will respond to  positive signals with positive signals."

"Joint Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercises are underway in the  Kashatagh region. There are other indicators confirming, to put it  mildly, the existence of discrepancies between the positive signals  from Ankara and its real actions. In this light, the latest  statements from Yerevan and Ankara suggest the existence of other  processes, not subject to publication, at this stage ", she stressed.

According to the expert, given the unsuccessful attempts to normalize  relations between Armenia and Turkey in the past, the  Armenian-Turkish relations are a rather complicated case of regional  policy. In her opinion, the problems between Yerevan and Ankara are  multi-layered and are by no means limited to the issue of unblocking  the Armenian-Turkish border. In this light, Hayrapetyan expressed her  hope that the relevant departments in Yerevan take into account and  calculate all possible risks and consequences of steps in the  direction of Ankara.

Taking into account the presence of clause 9 (unblocking of all  communications in the region - ed. note) in the trilateral statement  of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan dated November 9,  2020, Hayrapetyan considers the current processes between Armenia and  Turkey to be quite logical. Moreover, according to her estimates,  actions to implement this point have already started. The problem, in  the opinion of the expert, is the possible advancement of a new  package of preconditions by Ankara to Yerevan on this path.   Commenting on the current policy of Azerbaijan against this  background, the expert described it as aimed at achieving  delegitimization of the Russian military presence in Artsakh. In her  opinion, today Baku is obviously making every effort to create  grounds for the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Artsakh.   "The peacekeepers guaranteeing the physical security of Artsakh  people, the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries  on the need for a comprehensive political solution to the conflict  and determining the status of Artsakh by 180 degrees contradict the  spirit and logic of Baku's statements and intentions. And it is the  presence of Russian peacekeepers that is the main guarantee of  preventing the physical destruction and ousting of our compatriots  from their homes and homeland. It is clear that in Baku they see the  solution to the conflict that way, "Hayrapetyan summed up.