Armenia`s premier could hold referendum on relations with Azerbaijan,  expert says 

ArmInfo.Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's team could well organize a referendum on ways and prospects of settling the conflict with Azerbaijan. In any case, such a possibility could be considered now, Sergey Markedonov, Leading  Researcher of the Euro-Atlantic Security Center, Moscow State  Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), said in an interview  with ArmInfo. 

"In considering this possibility, we should not forget that, after  coming to power as a result of the 'velvet revolution' Pashinyan,  immediately after being elected Armenia's premier, stated that any  solution to the Karabakh problem implied nationwide approval.  However, in less than two years, he actually broke his promise by  signing the statement ending the 44-day war on November 9, 2020 -  primarily due to the fact that the trilateral statement obviously  outlined the future peace settlement. Nevertheless, that document did  not receive universal approval in Armenia. Rather, it is being  severely criticized," Mr Markedonov said.

Under the circumstances, a referendum on the prospects of settling  the conflict with Azerbaijan is, in general, in interests of the  ruling party and Pashinyan-led team. By holding a referendum,  Pashinyan will place the responsibility on the people of Armenia,  which will allow him to state, when necessary, that, after doing his  best, he cannot act against popular will. 

According to Mr Markedonov, the people could well disapprove the  prospect of Armenia and Azerbaijan recognizing each other's  territorial integrity. With such referendum results, accusing the  Armenian leadership of being incapable of reaching agreements will be  a rather difficult task to accomplish. The result could be a chance  of new negotiations, with the parties' positions clarified.    

"All this appears quite interesting and, of course, is capable of  offering new prospects in the normalization of the Yerevan-Baku  relations. But let us come back to the current situation round  Nagorno-Karabakh, especially to its geopolitical background, which is  much more apparent now than it was a month ago. We should note that  the result of the Ukraine developments will have its impact on the  settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict - not less  significant than the domestic political discourses," Mr Markedonov  said. 

During a question hour in Armenia's Parliament on Wednesday, Aghvan  Vardanyan, a member of the Armenia faction, asked Armenia's FM Ararat  Mirzoyan about a possible referendum on the ways and prospects of  settling the conflict with Azerbaijan. The minister said that such a  possibility has not yet been discussed and needs considering.