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On 22 June 2016, the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia released the statement of the EU Spokesperson on fatalities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The part of the statement said: “Recent violations of the ceasefire resulting in further fatalities on the Line of Contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone are a stark reminder that the status quo is unsustainable.”

Over years, the one and the same term “status que,” meaning the existing state of affairs, the status, has been used with reference to different situations around the Artsakh Republic.

What is the EU definition and actual assessment of the “status quo”?

Panorama.am has submitted the above-mentioned letter to the EU Delegation to Armenia. To note, the letter featured a ‘diplomatic slip’. “Does the continuous usage of the term mean the EU, in particular, recognizes the fact of the Artsakh Republic’s independence, considering it has been de facto independent for years? If not, what is the answer to the main question - how the EU defines the status quo today,” read the relevant part of the letter.

In response to the mentioned letter by Panorama.am, the EU gave a short and diplomatic answer, with no specific content.

“We thank you for your letter.

Please be aware that the EU has on numerous occasions made clear that the status quo around the conflict is unsustainable, that it has no military solution and that it needs an early political settlement in accordance with international law.

In other words, we consider the current situation around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as unresolved and urge the parties to engage in peaceful negotiations to find a mutually acceptable solution."

To remind, Panorama.am has also talked to political analyst Tevan Poghosyan over the matter. Asked whether he shares the view expressed by the EU spokesman suggesting that the status quo is unsustainable, Mr. Poghosyan also agreed that the EU needs to clarify its definition. “It depends on what they mean with the ‘status quo’. If one of the parties calls it unsustainable, it must explain how it defines the term,” the analyst said.