Your trusted source

What really matters in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict is the fate of Karabakh, everything else is secondary, Ambassador-at-Large and Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President Vladimir Kazimirov said on Saturday at Lazarev Club’s first plenary session hosted by Yerevan.

Kazimirov, a former Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, said the key issue in any armed conflict is the cessation of hostilities, establishment of a ceasefire regime and their exclusively peaceful settlement.

He noted the Artsakh conflict has two features: the first one is the fact that it’s older than all the other post-Soviet conflicts. He recalled how the political movement launched in 1988 gradually turned into an armed conflict in 1991.

“Russia and Iran were the first to mediate. Later, the OSCE Minsk Group became a mediator. Russia convinced the conflicting sides to end the military hostilities, and we saw a ceasefire agreement signed,” he said.

As the second feature of the Artsakh conflict, he named its unique configuration. “All the conflicts of the post-Soviet territory have two parties, but this conflict is not just about two sides. Karabakh has its independent role; it participated in the negotiations since they decided its own future,” he said.

Kazimirov hailed the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group toward a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Meantime, he blamed Azerbaijan for the current stalemate in the conflict.

“They demand the return of the so-called ‘occupied territories.’ Baku’s failure to make a compromise leaves an impression that they are interested in keeping the conflict unresolved. The Azerbaijani authorities seem to like this ‘frozen’ state, since it enables them to show their ‘patriotism’. The position of the Armenian side in the negotiation process is more or less clear. It looks for compromises and excludes the use of force,” the top Russian official said.

According to him, Baku is not prepared for mutual concessions, which means the country is not prepared for ensuring security. This, in turn, means the frozen state of the conflict is in Azerbaijan’s interests, he added.