US diplomat says it's hard for Pashinyan to sign peace treaty under Moscow's supervision
By Abdul Karimkhanov, Day.az
Even if Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wants to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, it is difficult for him to do this, since he is under the close supervision of Moscow, the former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, former US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, board member of the Jamestown Foundation Matthew Bryza told local media.
"Russia does not want to be on the side of the peace process. Perhaps Moscow is trying to put pressure on Pashinyan so that he does not conclude a peace agreement in Washington. But at the same time, the Kremlin needs Pashinyan, because he signed the tripartite ceasefire statement of November 10, 2020. It is important for Russia that the peace agreement be signed in Moscow. It is precisely with this that Pashinyan’s sudden trip to the Russian capital is connected, where he held talks with Vladimir Putin," Bryza said.
Answering the question of how close Azerbaijan and Armenia have become to signing a peace treaty after the meeting in Washington, our interlocutor stated the following:
"Judging by the optimistic statements of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the parties are closer than ever to signing an agreement. However, some obstacles remain. For example, Pashinyan insists on changing the legal status of Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, which has always been the goal of Armenia. Obviouslt, President Ilham Aliyev strongly rejected these demands. Indeed, Armenia had several decades to resolve the Karabakh conflict peacefully on the basis of the Madrid principles. However, Yerevan preferred war and lost it. Under the new realities, it is logical that Azerbaijan will not negotiate on the status Karabakh".
The diplomat noted the details to be worked out in a peace deal:
"The media are focusing on what will be the fate of the Lachin and Zangazur corridors, what economic preferences Armenia will receive and what benefits Azerbaijan will receive from the output of a peace agreement. In a word, there are many topics that need to be discussed. But the meeting in Washington between the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia the mediation of Secretary of State Blinken is clearly a step forward.
Blinken really understands the region and wants to make his own contribution to the final reconciliation of the two opposing sides. It is the Washington platform that is the most acceptable for both sides to solve the remaining problems. Because Russia is now busy with the war in Ukraine, and France cannot be considered as a mediator, since it openly takes a pro-Armenian position," Bryza concluded.
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