US analyst hails benefits of mine maps' submission for Caucasus strategic security
By Trend
The provision of maps about the location of 92,000 mines in Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli and Zangilan districts by Armenia in exchange for the transfer of 15 arrested Armenians opens doors towards coordination on strategic security matters in South Caucasus, joint economic projects, US analyst Irina Zuckerman told Trend on July 4.
"While many challenges lie ahead, clearly these are welcome signs of commitment or at least openness to a better future together," analyst said.
"At the same time, for Azerbaijan to return the detainees is not just a trust building step but a signal to the international community that it has no interest in putting up obstacles to peacebuilding progress," Zuckerman said.
"The fact that Armenia had provided one mine map in the recent past, indicated that Armenia possessed multiple such maps and that these operations (mining civilian territories) were planned from the top," analyst said.
"Reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan can also prove an important step towards wider multilateral cooperation with Georgia, Turkey, and other countries," Zuckerman said.
"The recent elections in Armenia showed that the population is tired of losing wars and long-standing tensions with their neighbor," analyst said. "If this policy continues, the entire South Caucasus will be the better for it."
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