Armenia`s premier speaks of problems of Brussels platform

ArmInfo. "The advantages of mediation have long been known to everyone, but all mediations come  with certain shortcomings, they all have shortcomings, and each  mediation has its peculiar shortcoming. If you allow me, I will speak  about the shortcoming," Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan said in an  interview with Euronews in response to a question about the mediation  of the EU 

"Look, for the Brussels platform, the problem we see and it has been  a continuous problem is that around the table we reach a certain  understanding, and we do this in the presence of the President of the  European Council. And if one of the sides does not address, fulfill  that agreement, this is not followed even by specific assessments.  Here is an example: in my presence and the presence of the European  Council President, back at the end of last year the President of  Azerbaijan promised and undertook that within 15 days, they would let  free 10 prisoners. They have not fulfilled that commitment so far. On  the other hand, I assume that the effective mediation is when the  failure to fulfill an agreement would be followed by at least a show  of political attitude towards the one that fails to fulfill that  commitment. In the Brussels platform we are not seeing this, I keep  raising this issue.

"Let me reveal a secret. We have even prepared a document that we  called an "audit", where we list the understandings that were reached  at the Brussels platform but were subsequently not fulfilled. That's  quite a thick package, which is alarming.

As to whether he means that Brussels is not following up when it  comes to the shortcomings of either side, Armenia's premier said: 

"If without diplomacy, then yes." 

As to the fact that the West has been playing a bigger role here, the  United States and Europe, has antagonized a more traditional regional  power broker, Russia, or the other way around, the fact that Russia  is more involved in Ukraine has given more space for other players to  come and try to help you and Azerbaijan to find a common ground.

"Those episodes do occur, when we witness, so to speak, scenes of  geopolitical jealousy. But I am glad to say that now the emphasis  seems to have changed somewhat, and that change is that we hear from  different sides statements that any platform that is going to be  favorable for the peace process, they would welcome such platforms.  And this is very important.

"Let me remind you that this international competition seems to not  be linked to us directly, because you know the platform of the OSCE  Minsk Group Co-chairs was active and it was created for addressing  the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. But since February 24, 2021, the  Co-chairs simply stopped interacting, some of them decided they do  not want to interact with the others. What you say or what I call  geopolitical jealousy emerged after that date. Before that such a  genre did not exist. But on the other hand, it would of course be  more productive if the international partners bring together their  efforts. There have recently been signs that, nevertheless, they are  somewhat interested in this latter logic."