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.