Sochi meeting accounts for Russian president`s desire to prevent  Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement in Brussels - expert

ArmInfo.The reason for the planned trilateral meeting in Sochi, Russia, is Russian President Vladimir Putin`s desire to prevent any agreement between Armenia`s  Premier Nikol Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on  the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels this  December, without coordinating the agreement with him, Hovsep  Khurshudyan, Chairman of the Free Citizen NGO, told ArmInfo. 

"I think it is with this end in view that the Russian president set  an earlier date for the Sochi meeting. By and large, though, both the  Sochi and Brussels meetings will defuse tension between the  conflicting parties.  Still, experience allows us to state that  Aliyev`s displeasure with the results of such meetings will  inevitable be manifested by new military provocations against Armenia  and Artsakh," Khurshudyan said.  According to him, the primary reason  for the current Armenian-Russian-Azerbaijani agenda is Baku`s demand  for immediate delimitation of borders with Armenia. In this context,  Moscow is seeking to speed up the process as it is concerned with  stabilizing the border situation. This last fact will, according to  Khurshudyan, enable the parties, through Russia`s mediation, launch  the process of unblocking the regional communications. 

It is even more topical in the context of legitimate, re-elected  authorities in Armenia, which have a substantial majority in  Parliament. This, in turn, rules out power change prospects as a  result of po[pular unrests. 

"As far as I understand from Nikol Pashinyan`s latest statements, the  only issue on the agenda is setting up a commission to determine the  legal norms for future border delimitation and demarcation,"  Khurshudyan said. 

"And, beyond doubt, it is in Armenia`s interest that OSCE and EU  experts be involved in the trilateral format of the commission. While  on a visit to Yerevan, President of the Europan Council Charles  Michel stated the Council`s willingness to provide experts. And it  would, to an extent, make the border delimitation process meet the  best European criteria and reduce the possibility of  manipulating  Armenia or Azerbaijan into concessions," he said.